Up to 11 Years: Sentences Handed Down in Brecksville Bridge Bomb Plot
A federal judge gave three of the men involved their sentences today.
A federal judge has sentenced three of the men involved in a plot to blow up the state Route 82 bridge in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The following information was provided by the United States District Court Northern District of Ohio:
- Douglas L. Wright, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 11 and a half years, or 138 months, in prison.
- Brandon L. Baxter, of Lakewood, has been sentenced to 117 months in prison. That’s nearly 10 years.
- Connor C. Stevens, of Berea, has been sentenced to 97 months in prison. That’s about eight years.
All three men were charged for one count each of attempted use of an explosive, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction to destroy a highway and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. The three men originally pleaded not guilty, but changed their pleas to guilty in September.
The representative of the court also said that the men would be under lifetime-supervised release after serving their sentences and the special assessment cost for all three was $300. The sentences for each charge will be served concurrently, which is reflected in the sentences listed above.
The men were part of a plot to destroy the state Route 82 bridge connecting Brecksville and Sagamore Hills in April. The FBI had been monitoring the group of five and an undercover FBI employee was in control of the explosives the group tried to use. The explosives were inoperable.
A fourth member of the group, Anthony Hayne, of Cleveland, pleaded guilty in July. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, The Plain Dealer reports. The Plain Dealer also notes that the fifth member of the group, Joshua Stafford, of Cleveland, is still undergoing a psychiatric screening.
The Plain Dealer article has more information from today’s proceedings, including the judge’s reasoning for the sentences. Longer sentences were a possibility that the judge dismissed.
WKYC has comments from Wright, Baxter and Stevens in court today.
What do you think of the sentences? Are they too long or not long enough? Tell us in the comments.
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