Crime & Safety

Clayton Garage Bombing: Ohlsen III Pleads Guilty to Four Counts

The 2008 incident in Carondelet Plaza injured attorney John Gillis.

Milton Ohlsen III has pleaded guilty in connection with the 2008 bombing of the Carondelet Plaza parking garage in Clayton that injured attorney John Gillis. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri made the announcement Tuesday in a news release.

"I am proud of the perseverance and dedication displayed by ATF and our partners throughout this investigation," stated Special Agent in Charge Marino F. Vidoli of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in the release. "While the innocent victim and his family have to live with the effects of this vicious act for the rest of their lives, this conviction will hopefully bring them a sense of justice."

Ohlsen III pleaded guilty to one count each of:

Find out what's happening in Clayton-Richmond Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • transportation of explosive with intent to injure
  • malicious use of an explosive devise
  • being a previously convicted felon in possession of an explosive
  • possession of an unregistered destructive device

He is expected to be sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, followed by up to five years of supervised release. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber is set for Dec. 13.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier in the day that Ohlsen III was expected to enter the plea. Officials have previously said that Ohlsen III "intended to plant a gift basket containing the bomb beside the car of a lawyer who represented his ex-wife in an acrimonious divorce and child custody case, but became confused and put it by a similar Acura TL," the paper reported.

Find out what's happening in Clayton-Richmond Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Officials with the and assisted in the three-year investigation of the case.

More about the Clayton garage bombing on Patch:


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Clayton-Richmond Heights