Ryan Keith Taylor, a 24-year-old former soldier at Fort Polk, will be behind bars for at least a decade.

Taylor was sentenced today to 135 months in prison, after pleading guilty to a single count of Using a Chemical Weapon. He was facing the potential of life in prison.

The US District Attorney's Office in Lake Charles says that Taylor built and set off Chlorine Bombs in the Kisatchie National Forest in April of 2017. After the initial investigation started, authorities uncovered child pornography in Taylor's possession. As part of a plea deal, the prosecutor's dropped the child pornography charges in exchange for his guilty plea in the chemical weapons case.

Army Sgt. Joshua Farbro was the investigator who initially came upon the location Taylor's chemical weapon detonated. As he began to collect evidence, he noted that his evidence bags were swelling, and his gloves were melting. He told the prosecutors that he could smell strong scents of chlorine all over the area, and eventually had to be rushed to the hospital as his lungs and throat burned.

Farbro testified today at Taylor's sentencing, stating that he has diminished lung capacity, and was required to medically retire. Telling the courtroom that he may eventually have to have a lung transplant.

 

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