Skip Navigation
USAO Home Page

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News releases are available at www.usdoj.gov/usao/ks/press.html

Contact: Jim Cross
PHONE: 316-269-6481
FAX:      316-269-6420

Aug. 24 , 2009

THREATS AGAINST COURT OFFICERS SEND WICHITA MAN TO PRISON FOR A YEAR

WICHITA, KAN. – Chad James, 30, Wichita, has been sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison for threats he made against officers of the court, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.

In June 2009, James pleaded guilty to one count of threatening federal officials. In his plea, he admitted that in June 2008 he was placed on supervised release while awaiting trial on a charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. During a session with a therapist on July 3, 2008, James said he was angry about testing positive on a court-ordered urine analysis. He was having “evil thoughts,” he said, and was considering blowing up a counselor’s car “with him in it.” He wanted to follow his pretrial services officer home, he said, set her house on fire and then shoot her when she ran out of the house.

Welch commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster for their work on the case.

 

##