Mississippi man charged with threatening to kill U.S. senator

OXFORD, Miss. — A federal judge has denied bond for a Mississippi man who the FBI said threatened to kill Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on April 26.

William Carl Sappington, 58, is charged with threatening to injure or kill a United States official. During a preliminary hearing Wednesday in federal court for the Northern District of Mississippi, Magistrate Judge Roy Percy ordered Sappington detained until the case is presented to a grand jury, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.

“Mr. Sappington has a history of violent offenses, both felony and misdemeanor, and of failing to abide by the conditions of release,” Percy said. “He was on parole for the theft conviction at the time of the new offense.”

Sappington went to the Hickory Flat residence of George Wicker, the senator’s cousin, on April 26, according to FBI special agent Jason Nixon’s testimony.

“Sappington reportedly said he intended to kill Roger Wicker because of his involvement in an incident (Sappington) had with law enforcement back in 2014,” Nixon said.

In February 2014, Sappington was arrested for the aggravated assault of his brother. He tried to flee and was bitten by a police dog. Authorities later transported him to a trauma center hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, to treat injuries he sustained during his arrest, the Daily Journal reported.

He objected to being taken over state lines without a hearing and felt that he was kidnapped, FBI special agent Matthew Shanahan wrote in an affidavit.

More recently, Sappington was released from prison in November for the theft of property worth more than $10,000. He tried unsuccessfully to retain an attorney for his objections to how his 2014 arrest transpired, the newspaper reported.

Wicker has represented Mississippi in the United States Senate since 2007.