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April 29, Texas: Two armored perso
April 30, Texas: Texas Rangers arrest seven individuals in two vehicles at a truck stop in Pecos, Texas, with a supply of fully
automatic assault weapons and some explosive materials. The individuals were on their way to join Richard McLaren. A few
others are also stopped in following days, but the massive action predicted by McLaren does not occur. Meanwhile, McLaren
and authorities talk sporadically by fax and phone. McLaren eventually breaks off negotiations.
April 30, California: Following the arrest of William Goehler (see above) on explosives charges, two associates of his, Kevin
Qui
found. Weckner is one of the central militia organizers in northern California; he also is a common law activist and a tax
protester.
MAY
Ca. May 1, Oregon: Common law court advocates Dick Lancial and Thor Lancial are indicted by a grand jury in Multnomah
County, Oregon, on multiple counts of forgery and simulating the legal process for their common law court activities.
May 1, New York: Bronx-area extremist blows his hand off in his apartment booby-trapped with homemade bombs. The
man, John Saperstein, an unemployed construction worker, had at least five bombs in his apartment. Neighbors indicated
that Saperstein talked a lot about the "Patriots of America" and the militia.
May 1, Colorado: Federal agents arrest Colorado militia leader Ron Cole (the "Colorado First Light Infantry") and two other
militia members on weapons charges in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. Authorities seize weapons and explosives
materials. Ron Cole, who claims to be a militant Branch Davidian, has been one of the more vocal militia leaders in recent
months. Police find six fully automatic AK-47 rifles, three land mines, 75 pounds of rocket fuel, a pipe bomb, and much
ammunition.
May 1, Florida: Brevard County (FL) militia member Brian Edward Lanier is arrested after making threats that he would kill
himself on the state seal and blow up an insurance building. He was held on an outstanding warrant from another county for
a 1989 aggravated assault.
May 1, Texas : Police negotiators send Richard McLaren a "final offer" and threaten to move in to arrest them. They also cut
off power to his trailer.
May 2, California: Police investigating the Yuba County explosives ring of Vernon Weckner, Kevin Qui
Goehler, arrest three more men, Jason Fox, Edward Whitlow and Robert Scott Deaver, charged with possessing explosives.
The six plead not guilty.
May 2, Texas: Republic of Texas member Robert Scheidt surrenders to authorities surrounding McLaren's "embassy."
Meanwhile, police units move closer to the compound. Richard McLaren issues a plea for "reinforcements" and he and four
followers fax their wills to state police.
May 2, Washington: Richard Frank Burton, who pled guilty to possessing pipe bombs and other charges in co
the Washington militia/freemen bombmaking conspiracy, is sentenced to 46 months in prison.
May 3, Colorado: Arsonists destroy IRS offices in a building in Colorado Springs, spray-painting "AAR" or "ARA" inside the
building. They cause more than $1 million in damage.
May 3, Texas: Most of the remaining Republic of Texas members surrender to authorities. Richard McLaren, his wife Evelyn,
and three followers (Richard Otto, Greg and Karen Paulson), walk out of their hideout after signing a "cease-fire" agreement
with Texas Rangers. Two members, Richard Keys and Mike Matson, decided not to surrender and fled into the Davis
Mountains. Authorities began a search with bloodhounds, helicopters, and troopers on horseback. Police find more than 60
pipe bombs at the "embassy."
May 5, Texas: One or both of the two Republic of Texas fugitives fire shots at bloodhounds, wounding two of them, in the
remote Davis Mountains. Later that day, police shoot and kill one of the two fugitives. The other apparently escapes.
Meanwhile, Richard and Evelyn McLaren are indicted on charges that could bring up to hundreds of years in prison.
May 8, Texas: Five more Republic of Texas members are arrested as part of McLaren's scheme to issue $1.8 billion in
bogus warrants: Jasper Edward Baccus, Joe Louis Reece, Steven Craig Crear, Erwin Leo Brown, and Mark Anthony
Hernandez. Also arrested is Republic of Texas leader Robert Kesterson, on three counts of contempt of court out of Travis
County, where he filed bogus liens and other documents in violation of a judge's order. Donald Joe Varnell was another
member arrested on contempt of court charges. State authorities also filed suit against Carolyn Carney for nonpayment of
taxes. Other leaders, including Archie Lowe and Darrell Franks, are also charged with contempt.
May 9, California: LA police arrest five militia members, seizing a grenade launcher, hand grenades, hand grenade
components, automatic assault rifles, body armor, night vision goggles, and over 100 different types of weapons. Arrested
are Gle
previous criminal history. Police say more arrests are expected; the suspects were allegedly pla
Southern California targets. Durand is later said not to be associated with the militia suspects, but rather a separate case.
May 10, California: A seventh man, Daniel Sparhawk, is arrested in co
possessing two tubes of petrogel. His girlfriend, Tina Lorene Terrell, is also arrested, bringing the total number to ten.
May 12, New Hampshire: New Hampshire militia leader Brian Chabot pleads guilty to his role in theft of $100,000 worth of
military equipment (see above). Chabot is the third of three to plead guilty.
May 16, Wisconsin: Three members of anti-tax group in Wisconsin are given a 20-count indictment charging them with tax
fraud. These members of Sovereign Citizens for Liberty, Frank A. Wysocki, Alan Cooper and Robert Iacoe, sold "untax"
packages to gullible people.
May 17, Oregon: Portland, Oregon, area resident James Bell, active in militia and common law court groups, is arrested by
the IRS for obstructing the IRS. Among other things, Bell devised a project called "Operation LocatIRS" to learn the home
addresses of IRS employees in order to intimidate them. He is also suspected of having used a chemical called mercaptan
in a March 16 stink-bombing of an IRS office. Bell is more well known for his Internet essay "Assassination Politics," which
proposed a system of rewards for people who predict the deaths of government officials.
May 19, Montana, North Carolina: Russell Dean Landers and Vincent Wells, two of the Montana Freemen defendants, are
sentenced in Wilmington, NC, on charges of conspiring to commit bank fraud, intimidate IRS agents and transport stolen
property across state lines.
May 20, Pe
robbery and agreed to testify against fellow members of the Aryan Republican Army.
May 21, Oklahoma: Tax protester Wayne Gunwall of Ponca City, Oklahoma, is sentenced to 15 months in prison for
conspiring with two others to harass IRS agents. The other defendants, Ke
Gunwall, pled guilty to one of the counts, have not yet been sentenced.