BOLIVAR, Mo. – A southwest Missouri man accused of planning shooting attacks at a movie theater and a Wal-Mart has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
The Springfield News-Leader reports (http://sgfnow.co/1gDkFhU ) 21-year-old Blaec Lammers was sentenced Thursday to 15 years on each charge, with the terms to run concurrently. He was found guilty by a judge in January. A third charge of making a terrorist threat was thrown out.
Polk County Prosecutor Ken Ashlock has said Lammers told authorities he originally planned to open fire on the opening-night crowd for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2" at a Bolivar theater in November 2012. He opted for the Wal-Mart because he could get more ammunition at the store. Bolivar is about 130 miles southeast of Kansas City.
Lammers was arrested after his mother went to law enforcement officers and reported that had gone off his medication for mental health conditions and that she feared he was planning an attack. No shots were ever fired.
Ashlock said the legal definition of assault includes an attempt to cause serious physical injury.
"He had the weapons, he purchased them, practiced them and learned them," Ashlock said.
Bill Lammers has said he would appeal his son's guilty verdict. He wants him to get help at a mental health facility, not go to prison.
"What we originally wanted was for Blaec to get some help," Lammers said. "This is sending the message to everyone that if you go to the police thinking they are going to help your son, they're going to send him to prison."
___
Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
