Indictment filed against Grants Pass, OR man, Raphael Enrique Amoroso, with sniper book

By JEFF BARNARD - Associated Press | AP – 2 hrs 44 mins ago
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GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A Southern Oregon man who was stopped leaving a high school football game earlier this month is back in custody after authorities say searches of his house and car turned up military rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a novel about a sniper killing people at a football game.

Investigators don't know if Raphael Enrique Amoroso of Grants Pass was planning a sniper attack, "but we were very concerned about it," Grants Pass police Sgt. Ray Myers said Thursday. "As the case developed, it became more troubling with the information that we were receiving."

Federal authorities this week asked that Amoroso, 27, be held without bail while they investigate charges of having a gun on schools grounds and being a marijuana user in possession of a gun.
Amoroso has not been indicted, Assistant U.S. Attorney Judy Harper said.

He initially was released after his Oct. 7 arrest on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana after leaving a high school football game in Grants Pass.

In the car, police found an ounce and a half of marijuana, a loaded gun in the glove compartment, and 200 rounds of rifle ammunition, as well as the sniper novel, according to an affidavit filed by a federal agent.

Police went to the house Amoroso shares with his mother five days later looking for evidence of manufacturing marijuana, Myers said.

A search warrant shows items found there included military rifles from World War I, World War II and the Korean War; hundreds of rounds of ammunition; a fuse; a single-shot shotgun; a helmet, a camouflaged bulletproof vest, a .22 pistol; books; and a computer.

Myers said instructions on making a bomb, anti-government literature, military training books, and gunpowder also were found.

It was unknown if Amoroso had an attorney; a call to the federal defenders' office wasn't immediately returned.

Amoroso's criminal history includes an arrest when he was a 15-year-old honor student and member of the swimming team at Grants Pass High School, The Grants Pass Daily Courier reported. He pleaded guilty to third-degree assault for shooting a pellet gun at a jet boat filled with tourists passing by on the Rogue River.

The pellet hit a man in the cheek. Amoroso was sentenced to 90 days in juvenile custody.

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(AP) GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A Southern Oregon man is being held after he was stopped leaving a football game and authorities say a subsequent search of his house and car turned up military rifles, bullets and a book about a sniper killing people at a sporting event.

Rafael Enrique Amoroso was arrested Oct. 7 on a charge of driving under the influence after leaving a high school football game in Grants Pass.

Federal authorities have asked that he be held without bail while they investigate firearms charges. The 27-year-old Amoroso hasn't been indicted.

An affidavit says police found a loaded pistol in his glove compartment after he was stopped leaving the game, along with an untitled book with information about a sniper killing people at a sporting event.

The document also says police found military rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in Amoroso's house and car.

It was unknown if Amoroso had an attorney.

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Nov. 4, 2011

A federal grand jury has indicted an Oregon man who authorities fear may have been plotting a sniper attack on a high school football game.

The indictment filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Medford charges 26-year-old Raphael Enrique Amoroso, of Grants Pass, with two firearms counts. One alleges he took a loaded .45-caliber pistol onto the grounds of Grants Pass High School. The other alleges he is an illegal marijuana user in possession of firearms.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

A judge ordered Amoroso held without bail after the prosecution argued that the case raised red flags suggesting he posed a danger to the community. Authorities cited a novel about a sniper attack on a football game found in his car, guns seized from his home and car, and past behavior.

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Nov. 1, 2012


Rafael E. Amoroso, left, enters James A. Redden U.S. Courthouse for his sentencing Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012 in Medford, Ore. Amoroso, a 27-year-old Oregon man who authorities feared might have been planning a sniper attack on a high school football game at his alma mater was sentenced Thursday to serve two years in prison to assure he gets psychological treatment.

A 27-year-old Oregon man who authorities feared might have been planning a sniper attack on a high school football game at his alma mater was sentenced Thursday to serve two years in prison to assure he gets psychological treatment.

U.S. District Judge Owen Panner said he wanted to make sure Raphael E. Amoroso of Grants Pass receives the intense psychological treatment he needs to overcome his anger and unrealistic view of the world.

Marshals led Amoroso away in handcuffs to start serving his sentence immediately. As he left, Amoroso's mother waved at him and put her hand to her mouth in grief.

Panner rejected arguments from the defense that Amoroso would be better served by remaining free to continue treatment with a local psychologist.

The judge noted that back when Amoroso was a student at Grants Pass High School, he wrote a letter saying he wanted to "take a gun to school and blow away the faculty."

"And when I'm done with that, I want to blow away every student I can," Amoroso wrote.

The judge said he didn't believe Amoroso would carry out those threats.

"But the psychologist's report indicates he's got a lot of anger, and needs a couple years of help," Panner said. "I think he can get that in the penitentiary."

Prosecutors had sought a seven-year term. Panner imposed a three-year sentence with credit for the year Amoroso has spent in jail since his October 2011 arrest.

Amoroso was arrested after he approached a police officer outside Grants Pass High School a few hours after a football game.

Police said he was drunk, had been smoking marijuana, and had a loaded automatic pistol in his car, along with 200 rounds of rifle ammunition, binoculars, a camouflage jacket, and a novel about a rogue federal agent who shoots up a professional football game.

A week later, a search of the home Amoroso shared with his mother turned up seven more guns, mostly vintage military rifles, as well as sniper gear — a camouflage sniper's suit, sniper manuals, a ballistic helmet, bulletproof vest, another 2,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, and armor-piercing bullets.

When he pleaded guilty to charges of having a gun on school grounds, and being a marijuana user in possession of firearms, Amoroso denied any intention of a sniper attack.

In court, Amoroso said he would like to continue the treatment sessions he started after his release from jail in August. His employer and a neighbor both said they could not envision Amoroso making a terrorist-type attack.

Panner had released Amoroso in August after he pleaded guilty and two psychologists said he posed a low risk of violence — even though Amoroso had a juvenile conviction for shooting a pellet gun at a tour boat on the Rogue River, wounding a passenger.

But Panner became concerned after reading a report from a third psychologist who treated Amoroso weekly in the past three months. The judge postponed sentencing originally set for Monday.

Defense attorney Michael Roloff argued that things Amoroso said during treatment should not be held against him, and ordinarily would be confidential.

Psychologist Michael O'Connell testified Thursday that Amoroso has made progress getting over feelings that the federal government was to blame for his problems.

O'Connell said he was less concerned that Amoroso would initiate violence than he was that Amoroso would put himself in a situation where violence was likely to happen, like a person with poor eyesight driving without glasses.

O'Connell said Amoroso has little concern for the distress of others and has an unrealistic view of his abilities and the world around him.

Panner recommended that Amoroso be sent to a prison in West Virginia that offers a treatment program suited to his needs.

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ONLY 2 years??