After pleading guilty for using a destructive device, a 42-year old man from Washington, DC was arrested and sentenced to up to 25 years imprisonment.
Guilty to Destructive Devices Charge
Andre Richardson was facing 14 charges in connection with the July explosion at Bingo World. He pleaded guilty to one count before Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Stacy McCormack. Richardson pleaded guilty just four days before his jury trial, according The Capital Gazette.
Following the explosion, two people were taken to the emergency department. Six others sustained minor injuries. Three electronic bingo machines were destroyed. Richardson was identified as the person who set up the device by using security footage from the bingo hall.
Many employees confirmed his presence at Bingo World during the blast by confirming that he was there. They also saw him while withdrawing cash at the cashier desk. Richardson was wearing a T shirt for a local moving company, and his glasses were gold-rimmed.
Richardson placed an item between two slot machines and tried several times to light it. When he succeeded, Richardson stood up and left. The explosion sent shrapnel over 30 feet wide through a plume of smoke.
There were 14 charges against him, 12 of which were misdemeanors. He was denied bail by Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Glenn L. Klavens. Klavens considered him to be a serious threat to the public safety and ordered that he remain in police custody until October.
Set off a Firecracker at a Casino
His defense lawyer claimed that Richardson had “a momentary lapse in judgment and set off an ignition source in a casino,” while Richardson said that Richardson wanted to return home to his family and grandchildren, as he wasn’t a danger to public safety.
Richardson’s plea of guilty to the one count of damaging device charges last week means that Richardson will need to wait until July 13, when Circuit Court will schedule his sentencing hearing. Richardson could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison, and upto a quarter of a million in fines.
