Homeless man gets prison for Bush threats

TAMPA, Fla., June 25 (UPI) -- A homeless Florida man has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for making threats against President George Bush.

Timothy Wade Pinkston has a previous history of threatening President Bill Clinton and the governor of Georgia, the St. Petersburg Times reported Wednesday.

A federal judge in Tampa gave Pinkston a prison term just three months short of the five-year maximum.

"Mr. Pinkston, there's no good answer here," U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew said. "I don't think I would be doing you any favor in giving you a shorter sentence."

Pinkston said that he suffers from bipolar disorder and has been diagnosed as being HIV positive. He said that he deals with his problems by drinking too much and taking drugs.

"When I get high and I get drunk, I say stupid things that I don't even realize until down the line," he said.

Pinkston was convicted by a jury in March.