A 56-year-old Troy woman accused of sending a loaded gun to Sen. Jon Tester’s Washington D.C. office will stand trial next week.
Last year, Cathleen Roselyn Cantlon was charged with interstate mailing of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm by a person who has been committed to a mental institution. She pleaded not guilty to both charges in U.S. District Court in Missoula on June 29, 2015.
According to court documents, U.S. Capitol Police received a report of a suspicious package on May 18 at the U.S. Senate mailing facility in Landover, Maryland. The package was addressed to “home land Security and Sentoe Johns Tester.” The package’s return address was listed as Kootenai Drug True Value in Troy.
Capitol police technicians examined the package and found it contained a loaded .22 handgun, a knife, a can of pepper spray and 53 rounds of ammunition. It also had miscellaneous papers and mail. During the investigation, a second package from Troy was found in the mail facility that contained an envelope with “Hazard Contaminated/Dirty Bomb” written on the side. In one of the packages there was a letter signed by Cantlon. In the letter to Tester, she wrote about mental health issues and the banking system.
Upon further investigation, law enforcement learned that the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office had seized two weapons from Cantlon in October 2014. However, the weapons were later returned to her and, according to court records, the same ones she tried to send Tester.
U.S. Capitol Police requested that Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies interview Cantlon and, on May 19, they visited her in Troy. Upon arriving at her home, Cantlon told the officers, “It’s none of your [expletive] business – get off my property.”
Cantlon’s trial is expected to start on Jan. 19. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.