Shannon Man Charged With Plane Theft Facing Federal Charges
Sep. 14—OXFORD — A Shannon man already facing state charges in connection with the Sept. 3 theft of a twin-engine airplane and for making a terroristic threat now faces federal charges as well.
Cory Wayne Patterson, 29, of Shannon, appeared before Judge David Sanders in U. S District Court on Wednesday afternoon. During the brief initial appearance, Patterson was formally charged with destruction of an aircraft and threats involving the destruction of an aircraft, both felonies. The first count carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The second count, the threats, has a maximum sentence of five years.
Defense attorney Tony Farese told the judge he plans to file a motion for a psychiatric examination of Patterson.
"We are asking for competency to be determined, as well as sanity," Farese said.
In the criminal complaint that remained sealed until Wednesday, the government details the events of Sept. 3, when Patterson took a plane loaded with 2,500 pounds of aviation fuel from the Tupelo Regional Airport, then called 911 and threatened to crash it into a Walmart store in Tupelo. After flying across northeast Mississippi for five hours, he crash-landed the 1987 Beechcraft King Air C90 in a bean field west of Ripley, near the Tippah- Benton county line.
During his call to 911 shortly after taking off, Patterson told the dispatcher, "I have stolen a plane ... get the Walmart on West Main Street evacuated because I am going to crash into it."
Patterson reportedly told the dispatcher, "I just don't want to live anymore and want to cause chaos while I'm at it."
According to the complaint, authorities found a handwritten, double spaced, four-page note in the plane, written by Patterson to "The World."
Police say Patterson intended for officials to find the letter after he had crashed the plane into Walmart.
"I am a person who is sick of the world, and living in it. People are mean, politicians are psychopaths (ALL POLITICIANS)," Patterson wrote. "I am at the end of the rope. You can think of me as a bad person if you want, hell you can spit on my grave and pretend I'm burning in hell now if it helps you sleep better at night."
Patterson explained he picked Walmart because it could be easily evacuated to keep innocent people from being hurt. He also argued that Walmart was a big company and its insurance would pay for any damages.
He concluded the letter, "Any how, no matter how you view my final act, I'll be too dead to care what anyone thinks of me. Enjoy the world, fighting amongst each other and whatever y'all do. I want no part of it."
Patterson is accused of taking a plane loaded with 2,500 pounds of aviation fuel from the Tupelo Regional Airport around 5 a.m. on Sept. 3. A police negotiator began talking directly with Patterson by phone and convinced him to land the plane at the Tupelo airport.
About three hours into the flight, another pilot familiar with the plane attempted to talk Patterson through the process of landing the aircraft at Tupelo. The plane appeared to be lined up for touchdown, but about 100 feet above the ground, Patterson aborted the landing, turned the plane, and headed off.
For several hours, Patterson flew an erratic pattern over north Mississippi, spending a lot of time over Ripley before finally setting the plane down in a field. He was promptly taken into custody and returned to Tupelo. The next day, he was charged with grand larceny and making terroristic threats and ordered held without bond.
He remained in the Lee County Jail until Wednesday. U.S. Marshals picked him up before 8 a.m. on Sept. 14 and carried him to the Lafayette County for his hearing in federal court.
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