Arkansas man sentenced to federal prison for making 'poisonous biological weapon'
WINSLOW, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Winslow man was sentenced on Thursday in federal court after being arrested in 2024 for the possession or attempted manufacturing of the poison ricin, according to court documents.
Jason Clampit, 43, was arrested on Jan. 24, 2024, for one count of possession of a prohibited biological weapon, namely ricin, and/or attempted production of ricin.
Clampit pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2024, to the charge during a change-of-plea hearing.
On Thursday, he was sentenced to eight years in federal prison with three years of supervised release.
A probable cause affidavit filed in the Western District of Arkansas on Jan. 30, 2024, said an anonymous caller alerted the Washington County Sheriff's Office that Clampit may have poisoned his own mother with ricin. That tip was relayed to the FBI.
Text messages between Clampit and his sister from November 2023 were included in the affidavit. In the messages, Clampit said he made and used ricin to scare people away from his property.
He told his sister, "I made it to get people to stay out of our woods. There's a group of
thieves out here called the Owlers. They snoop around watching people at night. They dress in gilly suits and hide in the bushes. So I made this stuff and set up traps in the woods."
Clampit also mentioned in the text messages that he became sick after touching a ricin solution.
Clampit's sister told authorities that he likes plants and has told her about knowing plant extractions.
He was arrested in Fayetteville on Jan. 24 for violating his parole and his vehicle was searched. Parole officers found hydrocodone, according to the document.
Later that day, Arkansas State Parole and Probation officers found castor beans on a shelf in a trailer on Clampit's property.
According to the CDC, ricin is a poison found in castor beans.
During a second search, officers found "a significant amount" of castor beans, a jar of suspected liquid ricin, a coffee grinder that officers believe was used to make ricin and a revolver.
As part of his sentence, Clampit was ordered to pay a $900 fine and turn in his medical marijuana card if he had one.
from KARK https://ift.tt/y82IHlF
0 Response to "Arkansas man sentenced to federal prison for making 'poisonous biological weapon'"
Post a Comment