BENTONVILLE -- A former John Brown University student will be evaluated again to determine whether he's fit to stand trial after his arrest for possessing explosives.
Timothy Bernice Constantin, 20, of Gainesville, Fla., is charged with criminal acts involving explosives. He faces three to 10 years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.
Circuit Judge Brad Karren ruled in April that Constantin was fit to stand trial after he had a mental evaluation.
David Hogue, Constantin's attorney, asked the judge to open the mental evaluation. Hogue said he wanted to present the doctor with new information. Hogue didn't go into specifics in court.
The judge granted Hogue's request and Constantin will be evaluated at the Arkansas State Hospital in Little Rock.
Constantin is being held in a lockdown treatment facility in Florida. The judge wants Benton County Sheriff's Office deputies to travel to Florida and bring Constantin back.
A status hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13.
The case dates to Nov. 14 when police received a call about a suicidal person who had made comments about committing a mass shooting or bombing, according to the Siloam Springs Police Department.
Witnesses said Constantin had been building explosive devices and igniting them off-campus, according to police. Constantin admitted to building explosive devices, but no material for explosives was found during a search of his dormitory room, according to court documents.
Police found firearms and ammunition in Constantin's room, they said. An AK-47 rifle missing the butt stock and a Kel-Tec 9mm firearm were found in a gray tote bag, according to a probable cause affidavit. Police also found numerous ammunition magazines for both weapons, several knives and a machete, according to the affidavit.
The search found a suicide note by Constantin, who wrote he wanted to commit a mass shooting or bombing because of his hatred for society, according to the affidavit.
Constantin said he never intended to use the firearms for malicious purposes, according to the probable cause affidavit. He said if he wanted to commit a mass killing, he would use explosive devices because they are easy to conceal, easy to synchronize and inflict mass chaos and mass damage, according to the affidavit.
General News on 08/01/2018