By JUDD WEIL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON — Andrew D. Patterson accepted a plea agreement and pled guilty in Reno County District Court before Judge Daniel D. Gilligan on Wednesday.
Patterson pled one year to the day from his arrest on charges related to threats toward Dillons Distribution Center and Hutchinson Middle School-8.
He is convicted of one count of attempted murder in the second degree, carrying a five-year sentence. In addition to that charge, he will have to register as a violent offender for 15 years.
Patterson’s intention was to kill employees at Dillons Distribution Center. He also pled guilty to two counts of felony criminal threat. One toward Dillons Distribution Center, where he worked as a security guard, the other toward his mother, Dianna Albee. Those charges each carry a sentence of five to 17 months.
Patterson was detained during a May 31, 2022, traffic stop after law enforcement received information from his aunt and grandmother that he made threatening comments.
During the stop, police found detailed plans in Patterson’s vehicle to carry out an act of mass violence, but they did not find any weapons.
A search warrant was executed at his residence, where additional evidence related to the plan was collected. Weapons were not found at the home either.
Texts between Patterson and Albee revealed photos of firearms, a “kill list” with his then-coworkers' names and reasons why he wanted to kill them.
Albee said via text she would try to get help for Patterson, which he refuted, saying he did not believe there was help for him.
Albee maintains that her son, nicknamed “Dade,” has mental health illnesses.
Other texts included Patterson saying, “I like violence” and that he wanted to kill at least 24 people, specifically more people killed than during the Uvalde, Texas, massacre.
“What began as a cry for help culminated in my son's arrest,” Albee said in an email to Hutch Post. “Dade struggled for years with mental illness, only to be vilified and portrayed as a monster when he gained the courage to seek help. And now, he has been held for the past year (with absolutely no treatment) when he was voluntarily seeking the help he desperately needed.”
Two of Patterson’s original four charges before amendments were filed as attempted terrorism charges. Reno County District Attorney Tom Stanton explained why those were amended.
“At the time he was arrested, he was not capable of actually carrying out a crime, even though he had the plans,” Stanton said. “He had intentions of purchasing a weapon but had not.”
Stanton felt obligated to take Patterson's mental health — and the fact he had no prior arrests or a history of violent acts — into account.
Stanton asked the court to allow Patterson to undergo evaluation at Larned State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital located in Pawnee County.
Stanton explained that, in good conscience, and with respect to the community and Patterson, he could not allow someone with potential mental health issues to serve the lifetime sentence carried out for attempted terrorism — especially when the spectrum between criminal threat and attempted terrorism is vast.
“What I was looking at when I was turning this case out, was the difference between someone making a threat and getting probation, and somebody committing a terrorist act and getting life in prison,” Stanton said. “I looked at all the facts in the case, I think he [Patterson] is mentally ill.”
In prosecuting the case, Stanton looked for a way to recognize Patterson’s mental health and protect the community.
If, while during his stay at Larned State Hospital, Patterson is found mentally ill, he will serve the rest of his sentence at the facility in Larned. If not, then he will be reprimanded to the Kansas Department of Corrections proper.
With good behavior, in addition to the time already spent in prison, Patterson could possibly serve only four years. Regardless, he will have to register as a violent offender for 15 years.
“No matter what happens, we will be keeping an eye on this guy,” Stanton said. “There were a lot of things to consider in this case. I think the key that we have here protects the citizens and recognizes the fact he might possibly need mental health treatment.”
As part of the plea deal, time for the two counts of felony criminal threat will run concurrently with the sentence for attempted murder.
Sentencing will be postponed until Patterson undergoes a psychiatric evaluation at Larned State Hospital. Until then, because of Larned State Hospital’s wait time, Patterson will remain jailed.
Patterson remains incarcerated with his bond set at $3 million.