Evacuee Pleads Guilty To Making Bomb Threats To Red Cross

WDSU ^ | 10/21/2005

[LA Woman3]

MONROE, La. -- A Hurricane Katrina evacuee who called the Red Cross and threatened to blow up targets related to Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross, and Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi will be sentenced in March.

Billy Wayne Livingston, 38, of Gulfport, Miss., who reportedly lost his home in Hurricane Katrina, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Monroe to making bomb threats over the telephone.

Sentencing is set for Mar. 6. He is being detained pending sentencing.

When booked, Livingston gave police a West Monroe address.

Prosecutors said on Sept. 16, Livingston allegedly telephoned the Red Cross Response Center and made the threats. The threats included the use of guns, grenades and mines against people and property.

If convicted, Livingston faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

[BipolarBob]

Did he have a bad childhood? #1 Question at trial.

[LA Woman3]

*ping*

[Blue Screen of Death]

At least he had the gumption to figure out a way to solve his own homelessness problem.... for the next ten years or so.

[caryatid]

I think Billy Wayne has cracked under the enormous stress and strain of the hurricane aftermath.

If he has no prior criminal tendencies and/or record, I think he deserves our pity rather than our derision. I suspect that an awful lot of displaced persons from the Hurricane have harbored similar thoughts [without translating them into actual threats].

Perhaps we should just wait to see how this plays out...

[WasDougsLamb]

Billy Wayne Livingston, 38, of Gulfport, Miss., who reportedly lost his home in Hurricane Katrina, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Monroe to making bomb threats over the telephone.

---I agree with Blue Screen of Death post #4. Now he will have a home for as long as he is in jail. (too bad it will STILL be at the taxpayers expence) :(

[xJones]

He reportedly lost his house due to Katrina, and he must have been betting on the bombing trifecta: Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross, and Keesler Air Force Base. Ol' Billy Wayne will gain long-term housing in prison after this, though.

[LA Woman3]

Prosecutors said on Sept. 16, Livingston allegedly telephoned the Red Cross Response Center and made the threats. The threats included the use of guns, grenades and mines against people and property.

Wonder if he made the call from inside the shelter??

[CajunConservative]

They probably ticked him off and denied him help. Let's just say they are useless for the most part. I saw them ride around while the Salvation Army and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief actually worked.

[LA Woman3]

Good point. Tensions were very high when people couldn't get their FEMA cards.

[CajunConservative]

They are supposed to be trained to help people get through a disaster but they really are a waste of resources. There's a county in east Texas that they refused to assist even though they were severely hit by Rita so the local radio station will not air their commercials.

[LA Woman3]

Why wouldn't they help them? Was it the Jasper area?

[CajunConservative]

I don't know why they wouldn't help them but remember it was HOT and with no electricity tempers flare easily.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3395687

[LA Woman3]

Brady learned from Sheriff Joe Walker that the threat against him came from a man in his 40s who had walked into a disaster service center in Lufkin earlier that day. The unidentified man allegedly said Brady "is not going to get out of East Texas alive," authorities said.

Oh my gosh!

[Mister Da]

Livingston musta waited in line all day, only to get a bunch of Tuna Casserole MREs. Yuck!