CEDAR CITY — A man who pleaded guilty to threatening federal Veterans Administration workers via phone was recently sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation.
The St. George VA Clinic, located at 230 North 1680 East, Building N, remains closed Tuesday after staff reported threats made against themselves, veterans and the facility, March 29, 2022 | Photo from St. George VA Clinic Facebook page, St. George News
Aaron David Kirschner, 49, of Cedar City, was sentenced in federal court on Oct. 18 by U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell.
According to the court’s summary of the sentencing hearing, Kirschner made a brief statement “that he understands his actions caused harm and put veterans in a bad light.”
As previously reported, Kirschner was accused of making hundreds of threatening phone calls to Deptartment of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City in March 2022, leading to the temporary closure of the facility as well as the Veterans Affairs facility in St. George.
As part of a plea agreement on Aug. 8, Kirschner pleaded guilty to a single felony count of Interstate Transmission of Threat to Injure, Cyberstalking. In exchange for his guilty plea, two other similar charges were dismissed.
The terms of the three-year probationary period include stipulations that Kirschner must undergo regular drug and alcohol testing, not possess any firearms or other weapons, and submit to mental health evaluations and counseling, along with any recommended treatment programs or interventions.
The court didn’t impose any additional jail time beyond what he’d already served and did not impose any fines or fees, other than a $100 special assessment fee.
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