A mentally ill Vietnam veteran was sentenced Friday to five years of probation for making repeated threats to kill his Veterans Affairs financial guardian and blow up the agency's office building.
Ronald Franklin Barnes, 59 of Wildwood, had already spent close to 15 months in custody following his arrest. He pleaded guilty in August to making the threats, and U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich granted a defense motion to vary from the sentencing range of 15 to 21 months, based on the amount of time Barnes has already served.
Barnes admitted to making several phone calls to the VA's St. Petersburg office threatening to bomb the building and kill his fiduciary guardian.
Barnes told the judge that he had stopped taking his medication because he didn't like the side effects.
"If I'm on my meds, I don't act like this," Barnes said, promising to stay on them.
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Mentally Ill Vietnam Vet Gets Probation for Threatening a Veterans' Affairs Employee
I don't know what "meds" Ronald Franklin Barnes is on, but no doubt he wouldn't have done what he did if he wasn't in a mental crisis.
ReplyDeletePerhaps his rage at his fiduciary guardian was justified and it was the action he took that wasn't.
Sad story. And I all know we victims often say we want to kill the guardian/fiduciary -- but that's frustration talking.
ReplyDeleteToo bad Ronald Franklin Barnes doesn't have any family that could take care of his affairs -- or does he?
ReplyDeleteVeterans are targets for guardianship.
ReplyDeletewhy do i have a feeling that something else is going on here maybe this veteran has a real beef with his guardian but is unable to express his disagreements in a more acceptable manner i hope he is able to get some peace
ReplyDeleteEverybody has a limit and this man met his limit but was unable to communicate his frustrations or what he wanted in a more acceptable manner. He lost control and acted on his impulses.
ReplyDeleteI can understand that feeling of now or never. I wish him well.
Viet Nam war veterans got a real bum raw deal when they returned home to people throwing stuff at them when they were at the airports. I remember seeing this on the news back then and I was furious that Americans would do this and our government allowed this to continue without military effort to stop it.
We owe the Viet Nam Veterans extra considerations and benefits because they did not return home to a kind nation as heros, their return home was met with jeers and people calling them horrible names.
Many veterans hid the fact of who they were for fear of retailiation and worse.
How quickly we forget, except I have not forgotten how it was back then and it was W R O N G!