Mississippi man indicted, faces 25 years in prison for threatening to crash stolen plane into Walmart

Published 6:18 am Sunday, September 25, 2022

A federal grand jury has indicted the Mississippi man accused of stealing an airplane and threatening to crash it into a Tupelo  Walmart.

WTVA in Tupelo reports that Cory Wayne Patterson faces up to 25 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine after being indicted this week on charges of threatening to damage, destroy, disable and wreck a civil aircraft.

Patterson also faces charges in state court.

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On Sept. 3, Patterson, who worked at the Tupelo Regional Airport, reportedly stole a Beechcraft King Air C90A plane from the airport, took off in the plane, then reportedly called 911 and threatened to crash the plane into a Tupelo Walmart.

Patterson then proceeded to erratically fly the plane in circles above Tupelo and part of North Mississippi, before finally landing the plane in a Tippah County field.

Patterson now faces federal charges of destruction of an aircraft and threats of destruction with an aircraft. He did not receive a bond during Wednesday’s proceeding. The court did not set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Patterson’s lawyer requested a psychological evaluation during the hearing.

Patterson will remain in custody with the US Marshals Service.