Battlefield pipe bomber pleads guilty in Federal Court
Gerald Leonard Drake a former Civil War reenactor pleaded guilty in Federal Court Apr. 18 to planting a pipe bomb at the Cedar Creek Battlefield in 2017.
According to an online document Drake also pleaded guilty to sending threatening letters to the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation and news outlets threatening harm.
In those letters Drake used Antifa insignia and made reference to the Unite the Right riots in Charlottesville.
In addition, the 63-year-old Winchester man pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered explosive device and stalking as well.
Those court documents confirm that Drake was a former reenactor who participated in the annual Cedar Creek reenactments until he was removed in 2014.
At sentencing Drake faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges.
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