A 21-year-old Little Rock man who in an Internet posting threatened to commit a mass shooting was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years of "intensive" probation with the specter of prison hanging over his head if he doesn't abide by the conditions of his release.
"You've got a chance here. You're either going to do what you're supposed to do, or you're going to end up in prison for a long time," Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herb Wright told Anthony Paul Stewart.
Stewart was arrested almost six months ago by North Little Rock police after he posted "Before I die I wanna do a mass shooting. Break the record," on the Meet Me website.
He subsequently admitted to authorities that he had written the statement and that he'd had thoughts of killing before. The ninth-grade dropout said he posted the message at a time when he was frustrated by how unstable his life was because of drug use, his inability to hold a job and issues arising from abuse he suffered as a child.
Charged with making a terrorist threat, a Class A felony, he faced up to 30 years in prison. He pleaded guilty last month.
Stewart was also fined $1,500 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, submit to weekly drug testing, join Narcotics Anonymous, get his high school diploma and find a job.
He's been jailed since his October arrest.
Defense attorney Brandy Turner and deputy prosecutor Scott Duncan appeared to be in accord that Stewart receive probation.
Duncan asked that the defendant be kept on a "tight leash." At Duncan's request, the judge ordered that Stewart's probation be revoked the first time he violates his release conditions.
Turner told the judge that Stewart, who doesn't have a criminal history, only gets into trouble when he stops taking his prescription mood-stabilizing medications, which include lithium, and starts using street drugs.
"When he's taking his medication, by all accounts, he's fine," the attorney said.
Neither Stewart nor his family testified at the 18-minute sentencing hearing, although Stewart has apologized previously for the threat.
The judge also ordered Stewart to enroll in Professional Counseling Associates' day-treatment program, an intensive outpatient service that includes three weekly meetings that include life skills training and group therapy.
The alternate days are for meetings with doctors and counselors, the mental health center's Chris Turansky told the judge.
Testifying for the prosecution, Turansky described the program as the center's most intensive offering. It would provide a "good structured environment" for Stewart while monitoring his prescription medication and behavior as part of his probation, he testified.
Psychologist Michael Wood, who examined Stewart by court order, testified for the prosecution that Stewart has an "extensive history of mental health treatment, with 10 years of outpatient therapy at Professional Counseling Associates and stays at mental institutions.
He also has a history of angry outbursts and making threats to kill others, Wood said.
Although Stewart has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder before, Wood did not find him to be mentally ill but diagnosed him with mood and personality disorders that are exacerbated by his drug abuse.
His drug use has gotten so bad before that he was taking prescription pills even though he did not know what they were, Wood told the judge. He was abusing pills, marijuana and methamphetamine when he was arrested, Wood said.
Cautioning that he could not predict Stewart's future, Wood said that warning signs authorities should look for with the defendant are how well he complies with his counselor's orders and stays on his prescription regime.
Metro on 04/06/2016