William James Clark, originally of Tallapoosa, Mo., is now accused of impersonating military personnel when he called a Russian embassy on Oct. 25 to report plans to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After an investigation by the FBI and other authorities, an arrest warrant was issued last week for Clark. But Clark's attorney, Robert Ridenour of Muskogee, said Clark was only warning officials of a threat perceived by Clark, and that he was not making a threat. Ridenour was out of his Muskogee office Wednesday morning and could not be reached for comment.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly West of the U.S. District Court in Muskogee on Friday granted a motion by prosecutors to determine if Clark is competent to stand trial. Ridenour objected to the motion.
Clark was sentenced in August 2004 to 36 months in prison for impersonating an Army officer and to 70 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Clark arrived at the scene of the bridge collapse, dressed in an Army uniform and claiming to be a Green Beret. After Webbers Falls Mayor Jewell Horne told Clark to leave the scene of the tragedy, in which 14 people died, Clark drove into Arkansas and talked a car dealership out of pickup truck to use at the bridge collapse scene, then talked a motel owner into setting aside motel room for rescue workers. The motel rooms were never used or reserved by rescue workers.
Clark was later arrested while trying to enter Canada, and a rifle was found in the stolen truck.
After speaking with investigators recently about the call to the Russian embassy, Clark claimed he suffered from mental illness and said he had never served in the military.
