A judge has ordered the release of a man who was arrested almost a year ago after prompting an evacuation on Capitol Hill when he threatened to detonate an explosive device he claimed he had in his truck.
After spending a year in custody in Washington, D.C., a judge ruled Wednesday that Floyd Ray Roseberry, 50, could return to his North Carolina home as he awaits custody. At the time of the bomb threat on Aug. 19, 2021, Roseberry was suffering from unintended side effects after being given the wrong medications for his mental health disorders, the judge said.
CAPITOL BOMB THREAT SUSPECT CHARGED WITH THREATENING TO USE WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION
“The Court finds that proper medication and strict supervision will reasonably ensure that Mr. Roseberry does not pose a danger to the community,” wrote Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Roseberry was diagnosed with different mental health disorders such as bipolar disorder when he was a child, his attorney said in court documents reported by the Washington Post. However, his condition began to deteriorate in recent years, coming to a peak in the summer of 2020, when he reported feeling suicidal but unable to get inpatient treatment.
Instead, a doctor prescribed him Adderall and Valium, per the court documents. Roseberry was taking those drugs in combination as instructed when he drove to the Capitol building in his truck and demanded to speak to President Joe Biden. An evacuation took place after he told officials he had explosives in his truck.
Teresa Grant, a behavioral psychologist who evaluated Roseberry after his arrest, expressed concern that he was given the combination of drugs, noting they are “contraindicated” for his diagnosed mental health condition.
“It can contribute to a manic or a psychotic episode, and I think that’s what happened,” Grant told the judge on Wednesday. Now that he’s on different medication, Roseberry is “quite stable,” she added.
Roseberry livestreamed the encounter with Capitol police as police attempted to negotiate with the North Carolina man for several hours. Ultimately, Roseberry surrendered to police and was taken into custody on charges of threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and threatening to use an explosive device, court records state.
Upon further investigation, officials discovered there were no explosives in his truck, but they did find possible bomb-making materials.
Roseberry told U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui days after his arrest that he had gone without his “mind medicine” for two days and that he wasn’t sure if he would be able to follow court proceedings. The North Carolina man has been held in custody in Washington, D.C., since his arrest.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Roseberry later requested to be released from D.C. custody and to return to his home to take care of his wife.
“My wife is going through some cancer problems and she’s going to have tests and stuff done on her lymph nodes and other parts of her body,” Roseberry told Contreras in May. “If she has to have chemo, she won’t have [anybody] there to take care of her.”
Roseberry will be permitted to return home until a trial date is set for his case.
