Man accused of planning to blow up courthouse sentenced

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The Pike County man who was arrested by police after they discovered his plan to blow up that county’s courthouse was sentenced today after pleading guilty to a charge stemming from the incident.

Kerry A. Thomas, Oakland City, had pleaded guilty in Knox Superior 1 to three Class C felonies from three separate cases: intimidation, unauthorized possession of a destructive device, and possession of a machine gun. He received six years on the intimidation count; three years on the destructive device count, which was related to his alleged plan to blow up the courthouse; and three years suspended to work release on the possession of a machine gun count. The sentences are to be served consecutively.

Police had searched Thomas’ home in early November 2009 seeking evidence related to a murder. There, they found PVC pipe, a blasting cap, detonation cord, a cast booster, and a degraded cast booster. Thomas allegedly told at least two people that he planed to set off a bomb in the Pike Circuit courtroom later that month if he was found guilty at the end of his trial. He was on trial for criminal confinement, intimidation, pointing a firearm, and battery stemming from an incident in March 2009, according to the Pike County Clerk’s Office.

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