Jamison Whitaker, 44, of Dallas, was convicted of Terroristic Threat and sentenced to 40 years in prison on October 23, 2024, according to Ellis County and District Attorney Ann Montgomery.
The conviction stems from an incident on November 18, 2022, when Whitaker arrived at Liberty Tire Recycling armed with an AM-15 rifle equipped with armor-piercing rounds. He allegedly called over several coworkers, threatening to "light this place up" and warned them he would give a thirty-second notice before opening fire.
Whitaker's behavior had reportedly escalated in the days leading up to the threat. Just two days prior, he confronted a coworker over perceived disrespect, prompting intervention from a supervisor. On the day before the incident, Whitaker threatened the same supervisor, indicating, “I got something for you” while mimicking a gun with his fingers. A coworker who witnessed these altercations feared for the safety of the over sixty employees at the facility.
The coworker reported the threats to management, who immediately contacted law enforcement. Midlothian police officers detained Whitaker without incident, and a member of the management retrieved the rifle from Whitaker’s vehicle, handing it over to authorities.
Whitaker has a significant criminal history, including a five-year sentence for assault of a public servant in 2000 and a murder conviction in Dallas County in 2011, for which he was sentenced to ten years in prison. Given his criminal background, his punishment range for the terroristic threat charge was 25 to 99 years or life in prison.
“Thanks to the employees of Liberty Tire Recycling who spoke up, the offense Whitaker was convicted of was felony terroristic threat, and not something far worse,” stated Montgomery after the sentencing. “This is a reminder to the community to not take these types of threats lightly, and to contact law enforcement if they occur.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant County and District Attorneys Hope Sumrow and Kalina Vincent, with assistance from County and District Attorney Investigators Todd Woodruff and Luis Hinojosa.