A federal judge has set an April 27 hearing to determine whether any members of a militia group accused of plotting to kill police officers will be granted bond.
U.S. District Judge Victoria A. Roberts set the hearing date Monday. She will hear appeals of U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Scheer’s orders that defendants in the case be held without bond while awaiting trial.
A federal grand jury indictment unsealed March 29 alleges David Stone Sr. and eight followers belong to a radical militia group called the Hutaree that plotted to kill police officers and wage war against the U.S. government. Charges include seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction.
During a series of raids March 27, federal agents seized more than 35 shotguns, rifles and handguns from the Lenawee County home of alleged Hutaree leader David Stone Sr., along with large amounts of ammunition, gas masks and a collection of swords and knives, according to search warrant records filed in federal court in Detroit.
Also seized from the Clayton-area trailers Stone shared with his wife, Tina, and son, Joshua, were camouflage gear, training videos, boxes of uniforms and three DVDs labeled “Waco,” the documents say.
Stone’s Detroit attorney, William Swor, said the descriptions of what was seized amount to “a big so what.”
“It’s legal to have them,” Swor said of the guns and other items. “If it’s legal to have them, why is it a big deal to have them?
“If you’re telling me they did something, tell me what they did.”
Agents also seized computers from Stone’s residence.
At the Whiting, Ind., home of Hutaree defendant Thomas Piatek, agents seized copies of the novel “The Turner Diaries” and a book of Adolf Hitler’s speeches, court records show.
“The Turner Diaries” was written by William Luther Pierce, the former leader of the white nationalist group the National Alliance.
Large numbers of weapons and ammunition also were seized from the homes of other defendants in the case.
A bulletproof vest and suspected crack cocaine were among the items seized from the Sandusky, Ohio, home of defendant Kristopher Sickles.
Source:The Detroit News/Paul Egan
