Guns, inert mine seized from mentally ill Missouri man

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Authorities say more than two dozen guns, an inert rocket launcher and a handwritten letter threatening congressional officials are among the items seized from a mentally ill Springfield man's duplex.

Recently unsealed court documents stated police obtained a search warrant after they were called Sept. 10 to the duplex of Rhett Waggoner, 46, for a noise complaint, The Springfield News-Leader reported. Waggoner is free on $50,000 bond after he was charged in Greene County with unlawful weapon and property damage felonies. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.

Police seized a cache of weapons from Waggoner's home, including a shotgun with a shortened barrel, a knife, police body armor, ammunition, five grenades and an inert Claymore mine, the search warrant shows.

Police said they also found a piece of paper in Waggoner's home with House of Representatives heading printed on it. There were several notes that had been handwritten on the paper, including "You got lots of blood on your hands," and "I'm coming to get you!!!"

According to the documents, Waggoner's father told officers his son is bipolar and hadn't been taking his medication. Court records show the police search also yielded a medication commonly used to treat the disorder and marijuana. Waggoner's landlord also told police his client had become increasingly paranoid and erratic.

A bond recommendation document states Waggoner also was arrested in July after he was accused of trying to crash his vehicle into someone else's car on a highway.

Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com