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SPRINGFIELD — A retired Army veteran has been sentenced to two years probation for leaving a profanity-filled voicemail message at the Decatur office of U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, and threatening to shoot the lawmaker, federal officials said.
The federal judge who sentenced Randall E. Tarr, 65, on Friday also ordered the Rochester man to undergo mental counseling, pay a $2,000 fine and to have no contact with Davis, his office or members of his family.
Tarr pleaded guilty in July in U.S. District Court in Springfield to a charge of making a threat to a federal official. The offense carried a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Officials said at the time the charges was filed that the caller berated Davis for "backing the Russians over our own intelligence" and adding, "I'm a sharpshooter. I could, I'd like to shoot your (expletive) head off."
Through caller ID, police identified Tarr as the caller and U.S. Capitol Police contacted the Rochester Police Department to ask officers to make contact with Tarr. Rochester police officers made initial contact with Tarr on Nov. 25, 2019, the same day the threat was made, at his residence.
"I said I had been a sharpshooter in the Army. I didn't realize I said anything about shooting him. I might have. I don't even own a weapon," Tarr said. "I wish I could just take it all back and just say he's a lousy (expletive) for backing the Russian theory."
FBI agents interviewed Tarr and said he admitted making the call because a commercial angered him.
"I screwed up," Tarr said at the time. "I don't even have a weapon to do it, is the silliest thing."
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