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Bush hater sentenced to 2 years

The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
1 Min Read Jan. 11, 2006 | 20 years Ago
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A man who used a public library computer to threaten to kill President Bush was sentenced to two years in federal prison.

Barry Clinton Eckstrom, 51, of Upper St. Clair, will undergo psychiatric treatment on the recommendation of a judge. He pleaded guilty in October to one count of threatening the president.

A federal agent sitting next to Eckstrom at the Bethel Park Library in May saw him type, "I hate and despise the scum President Bush! I am going to kill him in June on his father's birthday." The elder Bush was born June 12, 1924.

Federal agents had been watching Eckstrom after receiving a tip from someone about previous threats.

His attorney, Thomas Livingston, argued that Eckstrom is mentally unbalanced, but prosecutors said he knew what he was doing.

Prosecutors said that Eckstrom, for an unclear reason, initially sent threatening e-mails to Jason Hawes, founder of the Atlantic Paranormal Society and star of the "Ghost Hunters" series on the Sci-Fi Channel.

As threats to Hawes escalated, Eckstrom began threatening the president.

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