Houston, MO. – On June 10, 2024, a man from Houston, Missouri pled guilty to one count of assaulting a federal officer and one count of threatening to murder a law enforcement officer.
32-year-old James W. Dickens drove a stolen vehicle to the north gate of Fort Leonard Wood on June 11, 2023. There he had made multiple statements to personnel at the gate while acting erratically, going as far as to show them an axe he had sitting on the passenger seat. Dickens then fled from the gate and after a high-speed chase, and crashed the vehicle he was driving into the north gate drop arm barrier. He started yelling and cursing at the officers surrounding the vehicle. During the trial, Dickens admitted to threateningly saying to an officer who drew his taser, ” If you tase me, I will kill you.” He had then charged the officer which caused the officer to tase him.
After they got Dickens inside the Military Police vehicle, he continued to scream, threaten, and curse at the officers. According to his plea agreement, he kicked one officer on his right leg and headbutted another on his left cheekbone, all the while yelling, “I’ll kill you!” He then spit on the faces of multiple officers as they moved him into a paramedic’s vehicle.
Under federal statutes, Dickens is subject to a sentence of up to 18 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar Vargas. It was investigated by the U.S. Army, Fort Leonard Wood, and Military Police Investigations.
