Man accused of bomb plot headed to La. mental health facility

The Houston man charged with plotting to bomb a Confederate statue in Hermann Park this summer will be transferred to a mental health facility in Louisiana while he awaits trial, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Andrew Cecil Schneck, 25, stood briefly before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Wm. Smith while lawyers on both sides agreed the secure inpatient facility was suitable and appropriate.

“Any questions?” the judge asked Schneck, who stood with his head down, shackled and wearing an olive green jail uniform.

“No, your honor,” said Schneck, who then sat at a counsel table and raised his handcuffed hand to swear he was telling the truth on bond paperwork.

Schneck, who is being held at a federal detention facility in downtown Houston, will likely be fitted with an electronic monitoring device later this week before his transfer to Lake Charles Memorial Hospital.

Defense attorney Philip Hilder declined to discuss his client’s mental health history, other than to say, “I think he just needs a complete workup.”

Schneck’s parents — whose South Hampton home, near Rice University, was searched by investigators for bomb-making materials after his arrest — were not present in court. But Hilder said that wasn’t because they were not in contact with him.

“His family is extremely supportive of him and is concerned for his well being,” Hilder said.

Schneck was arrested in August after a city park ranger reportedly spotted him kneeling with explosives in hand near the 1905 marble statue of Major Richard Dowling, who fought for the Confederacy at the Battle of Sabine Pass. He told law enforcement officers he didn’t like Dowling, court documents state. His arrest coincided with a mobilization by civil rights protesters around the country aimed at removing statues of Confederate officials from civic spaces.

Schneck is charged with attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted. His trial was tentatively set for Nov. 6, but that could change at his next scheduling conference on Friday.