Army vet who threatened to 'terrorize' Naperville school gets probation

An Army veteran with a history of mental health troubles was sentenced to probation and ordered to receive treatment Thursday for making threats against a Catholic school in Naperville, the Chicago Tribune reports.

William MacKinnon, 49, of Massachusetts, was told to report for treatment at a Veterans Affairs facility in either Illinois or Massachusetts, the Tribune reported.

MacKinnon pleaded guilty in May to a charge of felony disorderly conduct after he made a four-minute "profanity-laced" message on the answering machine of St. Raphael School in February, according to the report.

In the message, MacKinnon threatened to "terrorize" the school, and also made a threat against Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, the report said. At the time of his arrest, MacKinnon also had three pending felony charges for leaving threatening messages for a Wheaton fire official and a police officer.

According to the report, MacKinnon's attorney argued he didn't remember leaving the message and apologized to the judge in his case before receiving his sentence.

MacKinnon's attorney said in court that MacKinnon enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17 and served for 20 years before his mental health troubles forced him to retire, the report said. Because of MacKinnon's military service and the fact that he had no previous criminal record, the judge said he was willing to allow MacKinnon to seek treatment instead of imposing a prison sentence, the Tribune reported.

A spokesman for the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.