‘Freedom’ free after guilty plea

From staff reports
Published: November 18, 2008

A city man accused of threatening the life of Jerry Falwell Jr. and sending threatening e-mails to a reporter for The News & Advance was released Tuesday afternoon after pleading guilty to the charges.

Berkley Carter Mills, 56, of the 600 block of Reusens Road, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of stalking reporter Chris Dumond, as well as two felony counts of making threats of death or bodily injury by letter against Jerry Falwell Jr. and Dumond.

The plea agreement allowed Mills to be released on time served for the six weeks that he was in jail without bond awaiting trial.

Lynchburg Circuit Court Judge Leyburn Mosby sentenced Mills to two years on each of the felony counts. Lynchburg General District Court Judge Joseph Serkes sentenced Mills to another 12 months for the stalking charge.

Those sentences were suspended for time served. He will be on probation for 18 months, must undergo a psychiatric evaluation and refrain from any contact with Dumond and Falwell.

Mills told the court that he was sorry for the messages that were construed as threats and said that he got caught up in the election.

Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Doucette told the court that the charges stemmed from an article published in The News & Advance on Sept. 17 discussing the voter registration drive at Liberty University encouraged by Falwell. Using the screen name Freedom, Mills posted his objection to Falwell’s and the university’s political involvement and called the university chancellor a tyrant.

“i,m really concern for him and liberty because you are advocating WAR !!THIS IS WAR !!,” Mills wrote. “i hate to see people getting shot/killed /kidnapped and a bulet in the back of the head and left at the parkway.”

Doucette said Falwell noticed the comment and felt threatened by it. A joint investigation by the Liberty University Police Department and the Lynchburg Police Department determined that Mills had sent the message.

He was arrested and his computer seized. Dumond reported on Mills’ arrest on Sept. 25, quoting Mills as saying he was angry that Falwell encouraged Liberty students who do not live here full time to vote.

Doucette said that after that article, Mills began leaving messages for Dumond and sending him e-mails. Doucette said Mills admitted to being angry about the article. Dumond asked Mills to stop emailing him, then got another message from Mills including comments such as:

“what do i have to do ,,elude to some possible -ability that you will be BOMB,,like twin towers,” and “now here me carefully,,if i was jesus,,and WWJD,,i would (obscenity deleted) kill the bastARD,,before he killed me w/his kisss…”

The correspondence was reported to the Lynchburg Police Department and again, investigators were sent to Mills’ house where they found that Mills had purchased another computer after his first was seized. He was again arrested and remained in jail until Tuesday’s hearings.

“This is a serious matter that could have escalated to much greater proportions,” Mosby said.

Berkley Carter Mills