Lysbeth
07-07-2003, 02:57 AM
Inmate indicted for mailing threats to federal courthouse
July 5, 2003
LITTLE ROCK (AP) - A state prison inmate who keeps sending threatening mail to judges and other officials in the federal courthouse at Little Rock has become a target of federal prosecutors.
Kurtis Ray Easter, 31, serving a 70-year-sentence, was indicted by a federal grand jury.
The indictment released Thursday accuses Easter in 21 felony counts of mailing threatening communications. It says Easter has sent 21 letters this year that contain threats to injure.
"We're going to try to deter his conduct for a while," U.S. Atty. Bud Cummins said.
Easter was sentenced to prison on burglary, theft, first-degree battery and attempted rape convictions in Columbia County.
Prison spokesman Dina Tyler said Thursday that when a prisoner mails something designated as "legal mail," there isn't much prison authorities can do about the content.
"We can't read it. All we can do is make sure there's no contraband in it," Tyler said, citing the rights of inmates to send private correspondence involving legal matters.
Someone who gets unwanted mail from an inmate can report the inmate, and prison officials can ask the prisoner to stop - but the prisoner doesn't always comply.
Cummins said that although Easter has been locked up for about 13 years, "We're going to take these threats seriously, regardless of his limited ability to carry them out."
Those to whom Easter's letters have been sent include federal court clerk James McCormack; U.S. Dist. Judge George Howard Jr.; Howard's law clerk, Judy Lansky; Chief U.S. Dist. Judge Susan Webber Wright and U.S. Magistrate Jerry Cavaneau.
The letters were sent between Feb. 6 and June 12, according to the indictment.
July 5, 2003
LITTLE ROCK (AP) - A state prison inmate who keeps sending threatening mail to judges and other officials in the federal courthouse at Little Rock has become a target of federal prosecutors.
Kurtis Ray Easter, 31, serving a 70-year-sentence, was indicted by a federal grand jury.
The indictment released Thursday accuses Easter in 21 felony counts of mailing threatening communications. It says Easter has sent 21 letters this year that contain threats to injure.
"We're going to try to deter his conduct for a while," U.S. Atty. Bud Cummins said.
Easter was sentenced to prison on burglary, theft, first-degree battery and attempted rape convictions in Columbia County.
Prison spokesman Dina Tyler said Thursday that when a prisoner mails something designated as "legal mail," there isn't much prison authorities can do about the content.
"We can't read it. All we can do is make sure there's no contraband in it," Tyler said, citing the rights of inmates to send private correspondence involving legal matters.
Someone who gets unwanted mail from an inmate can report the inmate, and prison officials can ask the prisoner to stop - but the prisoner doesn't always comply.
Cummins said that although Easter has been locked up for about 13 years, "We're going to take these threats seriously, regardless of his limited ability to carry them out."
Those to whom Easter's letters have been sent include federal court clerk James McCormack; U.S. Dist. Judge George Howard Jr.; Howard's law clerk, Judy Lansky; Chief U.S. Dist. Judge Susan Webber Wright and U.S. Magistrate Jerry Cavaneau.
The letters were sent between Feb. 6 and June 12, according to the indictment.