BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
Federal charges against the man accused of making a bomb threat at LSU in September have been dropped, however, state charges against the man still stand and he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison if convicted.
The dismissal of the federal indictment against William Bouvay, Jr, 42, of Baton Rouge happened Wednesday afternoon. The federal charge was one count of conveying false information concerning the attempt to destroy property by means of explosives.
The charge came from a false bomb threat that happened September 17, 2012 that caused the evacuation of LSU's campus. Bouvay faced up to 10 years in prison on just the federal charge.
Bouvay was also charged by District Attorney Hillar Moore's office with the state charge of communications of false information of a planned bombing on school property.
On October 16, 2012, Assistant District Attorney Jesse Bankston, Jr. filed a Habitual Offender Notice indicating the District Attorney's intention to charge Bouvay as a habitual offender with two prior felony convictions.
If convicted of the state charge as a habitual offender, Bouvay faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 13 years, 4 months, and a maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment. This term of imprisonment must be served without the benefit of suspension of sentence, parole, or good time.
U.S. Attorney Cazayoux stated, "The United States is committed to ensuring the most effective and efficient use of our law enforcement and judicial resources. Since a successful state prosecution will result in a considerably higher sentence than a federal prosecution, we have dismissed the federal charge without prejudice to reinstate our charge if necessary once the state prosecution has been completed. This dismissal is a testament to our confidence in Hillar Moore and his office's ability to secure justice in this important case."
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frederick A. Menner, Jr.
Copyright 2012 WAFB. All rights reserved.
William Bouvay Jr., suspect in LSU bomb threat (Source: EBRSO)
