BOSSIER PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A Plain Dealing man pleaded guilty to terroristic acts Tuesday after Bossier Parish sheriffs investigators say he caused thousands of dollars of damage and caused residents and campers in Plain Dealing to live in fear.
According to information shared by the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, 58-year-old Gary Lee Wilson was arrested on February 26, 2018, after it was reported that he made threats to burn down a neighbor’s barn and another location in northern Bossier Parish.
When investigators with the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office began to work the case, they had to go back more than 15 years to get the full picture of his history of terror.
Investigators say, that Wilson vandalized property, burned deer stands and deer camps, and placed metal spikes on trails to cripple horses and on roads to flatten tires. Wilson also reportedly attempted to lure deputies into a trap by covering an old abandoned water well with vines and leaves.
Wilson pleaded guilty to racketeering in connection with the terroristic acts. He was sentenced to eight years of hard labor, suspended, and placed on active probation for three years. He is also ordered to pay a fee of $75 per month for supervision and secure full-time employment. If he fails to maintain full-time employment status, he will be required to perform 20-hours of community service.
The court also required Wilson to pay $150,000 in restitution to his victims from the $200,000 cash bond secured in his case.
Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington says his office takes all cases seriously and the district attorney’s office is determined to hold perpetrators accountable.
“It does not matter how long it takes, if there is an unsolved case we will pursue it until the guilty person is caught,” Whittington said.
