BOLIVAR, Mo. – A man accused of plotting shooting attacks at a movie theater and a Walmart in southwest Missouri was found guilty of first-degree assault and armed criminal action Friday.
Blaec Lammers was convicted by a judge, Polk County Prosecutor Ken Ashlock said. Lammers agreed to have the case heard without a jury present. On Thursday, Judge William Roberts threw out a charge of making a terrorist threat, saying Lammers didn't discuss his plans until after his arrest.
"I'm pleased with the result, and I believe it's appropriate given the evidence that was presented," Ashlock told The Associated Press in a phone interview after Friday's verdict.
Lammers is scheduled to be sentenced March 20. His defense attorney and family members did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Ashlock said Lammers told authorities he originally planned to open fire on the opening-night crowd for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2" in November 2012 at a theater in the town of Bolivar, about 130 miles southeast of Kansas City. But Lammers then opted for the Walmart in Bolivar for the planned shooting because he could get more ammunition at the store if he ran out, Ashlock said.
Lammers was arrested after his mother, Tricia Lammers, went to law enforcement officers and reported that her son bought an AR-15 and another semi-automatic rifle from Walmart in Bolivar. A police report shows Blaec Lammers, who is from Bolivar, was found at that same store about four years ago carrying a butcher knife and a Halloween mask with plans to kill a clerk.
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