SAN ANTONIO – A conspiracy theorist arrested after telling a Texas church that the killing of more than two dozen of its worshippers was a hoax remains in custody after another arrest — this time on a weapons charge.
Court documents show that federal and state authorities on Wednesday arrested 54-year-old Robert Mikell Ussery in Lockhart, Texas, on a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Ussery was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to four years in prison for burglary of a vehicle in Brazoria County, Texas.
The new charge centers on his armed presence March 5 at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio. Worshippers there have said he and his girlfriend claimed the shooting was fabricated by the U.S. government. Ussery was charged at the time with making a terroristic threat.
A press release from the United States Attorney's Office said Ussery and his girlfriend captured the confrontation on their personal video recording devices that they were holding or wearing. The devices were seized by authorities. That's how investigators obtained video of Ussery placing a gun under a truck floor mat after the confrontation. He could also be heard telling his girlfriend, "The gun's under the mat, so that's yours."
Ussery is scheduled to have his initial appearance court appearance in San Antonio on Thursday. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in federal prison.