OXNARD : Man Indicted on Weapons Charges

Robert Thomas Ward of Oxnard, who is under investigation for allegedly making verbal threats against President Bush, was indicted Friday on two counts of possessing unregistered firearms and illegal silencers, the U. S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles announced.

The indictment alleges that on Oct. 20 Ward possessed 10 unregistered, fully automatic machine guns and two illegal silencers. He was arrested that day after a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

In addition, a number of legal weapons were seized in Ward’s Hollywood Beach garage, along with 27,000 rounds of ammunition.

If Ward is convicted, the maximum penalty under federal law for each count is a fine of $250,000 and a prison term of 10 years.

Ward, 45, the son of a former Oxnard mayor, is being held without bail at a federal prison facility in downtown Los Angeles.

He is scheduled to appear for arraignment before U. S. Magistrate Elgin C. Edwards on Nov. 12.

Ward reportedly told a neighbor that he had conducted surveillance of the Ronald Ragan Presidential Library site near Simi Valley because he planned to assassinate Bush, who will help dedicate the library Monday.

He told Secret Service agents, however, that he did not remember saying he would harm the President, but that if he did make such statements he made them while under the influence of alcohol.

Clint L. Howard, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Los Angeles office, said Thursday that it appeared unlikely that his agency would ask the U. S. attorney to charge Ward with threatening Bush.

Howard said he will report the results of the Secret Service’s investigation of Ward next Tuesday to Assistant U.S. Atty. Uttam Dhillon, who is handling the case.