Home Richmond Press Releases 2010 Man Who Took Hostages at Wytheville Post Office Pleads Guilty
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Man Who Took Hostages at Wytheville Post Office Pleads Guilty
Warren Taylor Faces Possible Life Sentence

U.S. Attorney’s Office May 14, 2010
  • Western District of Virginia (540) 857-2250

ROANOKE, VA—The Bristol, Tennessee man who held several people hostage at gun point inside the Wytheville, Virginia Post Office on December 23, 2009, pled guilty today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia to federal firearms and kidnapping charges.

Warren Aubra Taylor, 53, was indicted in January 2010, and charged with a variety of crimes related to the December 23, 2009 incident. Today in District Court, Taylor pled guilty to one count on discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, one count of possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a crime and three counts of kidnapping.

“ In this country, we register our grievances with peaceful speech, not violence,” United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “Mr. Taylor did not follow that path. Rather, he endangered the lives of others in a misguided attempt to register his complaints about the national government. If not for the courageous work of the men and women on the ground during this incident, a much more tragic, violent, and unhappy ending could have resulted.”

Taylor admitted today to entering the Wytheville, Virginia Post Office on December 23, 2009, and holding Douglas Robinson, James Oliver, and Majorie Austin against their will for the purpose of, including but not limited to, making known his displeasure with the government and policies of the United States.

The defendant also admitted to possessing and using a firearm during the kidnaping. At the time of his arrest, Taylor was in possession of one Glock .40 caliber pistol, one North American Arms .22 caliber revolver, one Taurus .17 caliber revolver and one Taurus .45 caliber Model PT 1911 semi-automatic pistol and ammunition.

Taylor faces a possible sentence of 10 years to life in prison for the discharging of a firearm count, a possible sentence of 15 years to life in prison for the possession of a firearm count and a possible sentence of 0-life for each of the three kidnapping counts.

In determining an actual sentence, the court will consult the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining the sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, The Virginia State Police, The United State’s Marshal’s Service, the Wytheville, Virginia Police Department, and the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Giorno is prosecuting the case for the United States.

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