Prescott Receives Treatment, GPS Monitoring
A judge ruled Thursday that Neil Prescott, the man who reportedly threatened co-workers in Prince George's County, will now be monitored by GPS.
Neil Prescott, the 28-year-old involved in a thwarted threat incident in late July, appeared in a Prince George's County courtroom Thursday in Upper Marlboro.
Although he was living in Crofton at the time of the incident, Prescott was ordered by a judge on Aug. 21 to remain with his parents at their Parkton home in Baltimore County.
The Baltimore Sun reported that Prescott appeared Thursday in Mental Health Court to provide an update on his progress outside of an inpatient facility, where he'd been since Anne Arundel County police took him into custody on July 23.
Prescott will now be under GPS monitoring and not have access to any guns despite a report presented in court that says he is "not a danger," according to The Sun.
He faces one count of telephone misuse related to threatening calls he allegedly made. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $500 fine.
During a news conference on July 23, police said threatening calls were reported by an employee of Pitney Bowes in Prince George's County and a man was taken into custody after an arsenal of weapons was found in his Crofton apartment.
Prescott allegedly said, "I'm the joker, and I'm going to load my guns and blow everyone up."
Agents recovered 25 firearms from Prescott's apartment, but further investigation revealed that he legally purchased the weapons. Maryland State Police said Prescott passed all background checks required to purchase firearms and his collector status was also properly applied.
The case received national media attention because it occurred days after a movie theater shooting in Aurora, CO, during a showing of a Batman movie where the alleged gunman also made a "Joker" reference.
Prescott is scheduled for another hearing on Sept. 11, according to online court records.
See more:
- Crofton Man Who Threatened Pr. George's Co-Workers Released from Hospital
- Prescott Had Collector Status, Bought Firearms Legally
- Prosecutors Handcuffed By Law in Threat Case
- Neil Prescott Faces Telephone Misuse Charges in Averted Threat Case
- Charges Still Pending in Averted Threat Case
- Police: 25 Guns, 'Thousands of Rounds' Recovered From Shooting Plot Suspect's Home
- Police Nab Man in Crofton in Potential Mass Shooting Plot
Chris W
12:44 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012
The article states : Prescott will now be under GPS monitoring and not have access to any guns despite a report presented in court that says he is "not a danger,"
The man has not been convicted of any crime, mental health experts have reported that he is not a danger, and yet the government can order him to live with his parents and monitor his location with GPS? The sole charge is misuse of a telephone!
This is an unconstituional violation of his rights.
Patrick H.
6:09 pm on Saturday, September 1, 2012
Actually Chris I have researched this extensively. Although I am not a lawyer there does not appear to be any violation of any of his rights since it appears as if he entered into a plea arrangment rather than face a trial (personally I believe he should have faced the trial in order to bring out the facts as to what really happend between him and his employer). It appears as if he had to agree to the GPS and gun conditions in order to be released without any further jail time (courts typically accept hospitalizations instead of jail time so in the eyes of the court he did jail time). Based upon the legal fees involved a lot of innocent citizens accept pleas rather than pay legal fees. I wonder if he considered asking the ACLU for legal assistance (or the NRA). I think he was lead down the wrong path. None of this is to say that I believe his comments (as posted in the PATCH) were that of a truly sane person.
One last item: be careful how you view "not a danger" when used by hospital or mental health staff. This is usually a position taken at the time of the evaluation and all one really has to tell them is that they no longer have a viable plan for hurting anyone and that they have a place to live (such as his parents) house.
Out of all the comments I've read yours seem to be the most reliable. Thank you and take care.
cftnmom19
2:55 pm on Saturday, September 1, 2012
Chris, if you worked at PB you would feel differently. Some of us would like to NOT become a statistic. He made horrible threats towards us and was armed to follow them out. He's fortunate that is all they can charge him with. I have a hard time believing you would feel safe in our position.
Chris W
9:39 am on Sunday, September 2, 2012
I am not defending the comments he made. I do feel that anyone with mental problems should be prevented from possessing firearms. The issue is hat we must be very careful that we do not violate people's constitutional rights in the name of security.