Mental health evaluation ordered for man accused of threatening SLO County school
The federal trial for a Missouri man who allegedly threatened to bomb a San Luis Obispo County school and murder a SLO County elected official in a revenge plot has been pushed as he awaits a mental health evaluation.
David William Platek, 41, of Springfield, Missouri, was arrested on Jan. 24, 2025, and charged with interstate criminal threats by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly texting several “true threats” to someone in December 2024 indicating his intent to kill an unnamed elected official in SLO County.
He reportedly told investigators he had been “homicidal for one year” with an intent to kill as many people as possible and “favorably” compared himself to the Uvalde school shooter and Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to court documents.
In texts, he detailed his plot to assassinate the county official and then set off “a large explosion killing 400, mostly children in San Luis Obispo,” according to his indictment, filed in February 2025. He pleaded not guilty later that month.
Platek was previously charged by the SLO County District Attorney’s Office with felony identity theft in 2019 for posing as a SLO County political activist on Facebook. Those charges were later dismissed.
His federal trial, last scheduled to start on Feb. 9, has been delayed by more than a month to allow time for Platek to undergo a mental health evaluation.
On Jan. 8, Platek’s attorney James Threatt filed a late notice asking for permission to enter expert evidence of a mental condition, disease or defect with bearing on the issue of guilt, according to court records.
The notice did not indicate whether Platek plans to use the insanity defense, which argues a defendant lacks criminal responsibility due to severe mental illness at the time of the crime. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, a defendant is usually committed to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
The notice states that “the government does not oppose this request.”
The next day, Threatt filed a motion to place the mental health expert’s disclosure under seal because it contains “sensitive information,” according to court records.
On Jan. 16, the government motioned to file a response seeking a mental evaluation of Platek, according to court records. The government asked to file the motion under seal again due to sensitive information not appropriate for publicly-filed documents.
The motion to file also requested discovery related to the expert’s disclosure and for the trial date be moved.
Platek’s trial was rescheduled to begin March 16. He remains in federal custody without bail.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 10:16 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the threat was made on a SLO County school.
