Man accused of threat against assisted-living facility

A Cape Girardeau man is accused of threatening to burn down Frederick Street Manor on Christmas using the gas can from which he was drinking and huffing while walking along the street.

Avery Centil Whitney, 24, of Cape Girardeau was arrested Dec. 26 and charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony.

A witness said she saw Whitney walking along Frederick Street carrying a red gas can, and he was drinking and huffing the gas, Cape Girardeau police officer Shane Bourbon wrote in a probable-cause statement. The witness said Whitney told her he was going to kill her and burn down Frederick Street Manor with the gas he had on hand, Bourbon reported.

"(The victim) stated that she was in fear for her life and the lives of the 'twenty plus' residents that reside at the manor," Bourbon wrote.

Cape Girardeau police public information officer Richard McCall said the department regularly responds to calls at Frederick Street Manor, as it is an assisted-living facility for people suffering from mental illnesses.

McCall said there were several witnesses in this case, and the person who reported Whitney was an employee at the Manor.

McCall said police have encountered Whitney before, although not for anything as serious as making a terrorist threat, and the threat does not seem out of the ordinary with Whitney's history.

Whitney's bond is set at $25,000.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 430 N. Frederick St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.