Indictment: Militia memebers sought to 'levy war' agianst U.S.

Indictment: Militia members sought to 'levy war' against U.S.

Paul Egan / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Nine members of a Lenawee County-based militia group were planning to "levy war" against the United States and "oppose by force" the nation's government, according to an indictment released
this morning in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

The five-count indictment was unsealed this morning and alleges that between August 2008 and the present, the defendants were attempting to use bombs and
other weapons to oppose the U.S. government.

The eight men and one woman are members of the "Hutaree," identified as an "anti-government extremist organization" in the indictment, and each
faces three to five charges, including sedition, attempts to use
weapons of mass destruction, teaching/demonstrating use of explosive
materials and two counts of carrying weapons in relation to a crime of
violence.

The Adrian-based group says it is training in modern combat techniques for a prophesized battle with the anti-Christ.

Accused are: David Brian Stone, 45; his wife, Tina Stone, 44; his son, Joshua Matthew Stone, 21, all three of Clayton; and his other son, David Brian
Stone Jr., 19, of Adrian. Also, Joshua Clough, 28, of Blissfield;
Michael Meeks, 40 of Manchester; Thomas Piatek, 46, of Whiting, Ind.;
Kristopher Sickles, 27, of Sandusky, Ohio; and Jacob Ward, 33, of
Huron, Ohio.

Federal authorities say they acted as a Lenawee County militia group called the Hutaree and viewed local, state, and federal law enforcement as the "brotherhood," their enemy, and have
been preparing to engage them in armed conflict.

"This is an example of radical and extremist fringe groups which can be found throughout our society," said Andrew Arena, FBI special agent in
charge. "The FBI takes such extremist groups seriously, especially
those who would target innocent citizens and the law enforcement
officers who protect the citizens of the United States."

If convicted, the suspects could face up to life in prison, the maximum penalty on the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. The
seditious conspiracy charge carries a maximum prison term of 20 years,
as does the teaching the use of explosives charge. The possession of a
firearm charge carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison.

"Because the Hutaree had planned a covert reconnaissance operation for April, which had the potential of placing an unsuspecting member of the public
at risk, the safety of the public and of the law enforcement community
demanded intervention at this time," said Barbara McQuade, the U.S.
Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The indictment says they were planning to kill a member of law enforcement, possibly after a traffic stop, to "prompt a response by law enforcement."

The goal: To "intimidate and demoralize law enforcement, diminishing their ranks and rendering them ineffective," according to the indictment.

The group then intended to use the incident to spark a "war" against law enforcement, using bombs, ambushes and prepared fighting positions.

Members of the self-described Christian militia were arrested in weekend raids in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

At least eight people were taken into custody in weekend raids by an FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force, said Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for
the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit.

The suspects are expected to appear in Detroit in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald A. Scheer; one may appear in court this morning in Indiana.

An ex-wife and a fiancee of two of the men charged -- identified as David Stone Sr. and David Stone Jr. -- arrived at the federal courthouse this
morning for the hearing. Donna Stone, who said she was the ex-wife of
David Stone Sr., was in tears.

Mike Lackomar of Michigan-Militia.com said he heard from other militia members that the FBI targeted the Hutaree after its members made threats against Islamic
organizations.

Although there had been reports that the Hutaree may have targeted Muslims, there is no mention in the indictment of any threats against them.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement Sunday asking federal law enforcement officials to release more information about possible threats against Muslims.

"Given the recent sharp spike CAIR offices nationwide have observed in anti-Islam rhetoric, it would not be surprising that an extremist group
would seek to turn that bigoted rhetoric into violent actions," said
Nihad Awad, CAIR national executive director in Washington, D.C.

pegan@detnews.com (313) 222-2069

From The Detroit News: http://detroitnews.com/article/20100329/METRO/3290381/Indictment--M....

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