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U.S. Vice President Mike Pence attends a joint announcement with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after their meeting at Abe's official residence in Tokyo Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018.
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Former National Guardsman who threatened Vice President gets prison and mental health treatment

Toru Hanai/Associated Press

Former National Guardsman who threatened Vice President gets prison and mental health treatment

William Dunbar, a former National Guardsman so volatile that he wasn't allowed to be near guns on his base near Johnstown, was sentenced Friday to federal prison for threatening to kill Vice President Mike Pence.

U.S. District Judge Kim Gibson, presiding in Johnstown, imposed a term of six months behind bars and six months of home detention.

He also ordered that Dunbar, 23, of Berlin, Pa., get mental health treatment.

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Dunbar had pleaded guilty in December to threatening the vice president last year while on duty at the Army National Guard Training Center in Richland.

At the time, Mr. Pence was scheduled to arrive in Johnstown on Sept. 11 to speak at the Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks.

On Sept. 8, three witnesses at the base said they heard Dunbar issue a threat.

Richland police initially arrested him and the case was investigated by the Secret Service.

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Pence's speech went forward as planned.

Exactly what Dunbar said was in some dispute.

Secret Service Agent Keith Heckman said the most credible witness indicated Dunbar said "f___ the vp...I'll make a terroristic threat, I'll kill him. I don't give a [expletive]. There's nothing they're going to do."

Two other witnesses gave similar accounts and told their supervisors.

Dunbar initially said he didn't remember making a threat but then admitted that he did issue one, saying he would kill Pence if someone "paid me a lot of money."

After the arrest, Judge Gibson ordered Dunbar detained as a danger to the community.

Secret Service interviews indicated that he was known on base as violent and unpredictable, with some other guardsmen saying he had "roid rage."

The Army base would not allow him to be near guns and kept him isolated under the supervision of an officer.

Other witnesses in the community said they feared Dunbar, Agent Heckman said. One said Dunbar had beaten him up, another said Dunbar had brandished a gun in an altercation, and everyone said they feared Dunbar would come after them for talking to the authorities.

In addition to the prison term and mental health treatment, Dunbar will be on probation for three years.

Correction, posted March 9, 2018: An earlier version of this story misstated the service for which agent Heckman works.

First Published: March 9, 2018, 8:15 p.m.

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