Neo-Nazi Flees Arrest, Declares Run for Senate

A man wanted for entering The Church of Love in the Anchorage neighborhood of Spenard and unloading a can of bear mace on a group of peace activists is now officially identified, arrested without incident, and in police custody.  Bret Maness, an avowed white supremacist, has been charged with fourteen counts including a first-degree felony charge of making a terroristic threat, a second-degree burglary charge, 11 counts of fourth-degree assault, and one count of reckless endangerment. The call to the community went out via Nixle alert on Thursday morning at 8:30 stating that the public had been instrumental in identifying Maness from security camera images that circulated on social media, prompting hundreds of tips to police. Hours later, the manhunt has ended without incident.

Apparently, the suspect brought the bear mace into the church in a fetching shoulder purse reminiscent of Tinky Winky’s magic bag.

Maness has a rap sheet to make you shudder, and a long history of white supremacist and neo-Nazi activity as reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center which monitors and reports on hate crime. The most egregious crime involved terrorizing his black neighbor, whom he ultimately shot and killed. He was eventually acquitted claiming self-defense because the neighbor had come on to Maness’s property. Also, according to SPLC,

In 2001, while he was appealing the weapons and drug convictions, Maness was shot by law enforcement after evading Alaska State Troopers trying to serve a psychiatric commitment order sought by his wife. A trooper had approached him in his RV, but Maness reportedly told him, “You need to leave or you are going to die.” A chase ensued, during which Maness fired shots at law enforcement. Maness ran from the RV, and with the help of a K-9 unit and surveillance aircraft was found hours later by police. When confronted, Maness turned toward the officers and was shot in the left shoulder. The assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case said law enforcement found white supremacist literature in his possession, along with several firearms. Maness was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in 2003.

Maness is also affiliated with the neo-Nazi group Storm Front, and has a promotion for its Anchorage book club on his Facebook page. That is correct – a Nazi book club. “SS interviews will b conducted,” according to Maness, but no indication of whose turn it is to bring snacks.

His page is also peppered with racist postings, slurs against the LGBT community, Jews, Democrats, and Haitians and Pacific Islanders whom he says are taking over the neighborhood and want to “eat him.” A cannibal reference.

Maness was in contact with at least one Alaska militia leader in the past few years asking for advice on organization, but was quickly rebuffed and communications were cut off when his neo-Nazi and white supremacist views became apparent.

After the call went out and Maness was officially wanted by the law, there was a flurry of activity on his Facebook page. He changed his profile picture to a full-on mug shot-style photo.

This is the picture he posted to his profile.

This is his current police shot. Apparently he wanted social media to remember the younger more rakish  psychopath.

He also changed his cover photo to a bizarre declaration of a run for U.S. Senate, complete with decent graphics and the warning “bubeye Lisa” in the comments, presumably referring to Senator Lisa Murkowski, the senior and more centrist of Alaska’s two Republican Senators. Nothing like a little infusion of cash from campaign donations while you’re on the lam. Watch out Senator Murkowski, this guy seems legit.

He also spent his last hours of freedom reposting a morally bankrupt plea for money by reposting a GoFundMe account he set up a year and a half ago. He seems to be attempting to raise money to tell what “really happened” but doing so under the guise of raising money for veterans. The site states:

“This is the online donation portal for Alaska Veterans.
WE ARE FLYING THE FLAG FOR YOU!
Providing jobs and services for our American Heros.
You are supporting the troops.”

If by “the troops” you mean Maness’s legal defense fund.

The site has raised a whopping $5 from a whopping one guy four months ago. God Bless America.

His final attempt to raise some greenbacks before checking in at the Grey Bar Hotel came in the form of directing people who want to know “what really happened” to his YouTube page where he has posted videos of his former glory days as a heavy metal singer.

A victim of the bear mace attack and others on Facebook identified Maness soon after the attack and noted that the details of the location of their meeting and some “vitriolic things” were said against the organizer in the blog Must Read Alaska before the attack happened. Any reference on that blog (which we shall not dignify with a link) now seems to have been deleted. Somewhere the internet still remembers.

There’s nothing like going to the source of a problem to get a new perspective. So, what does this particular actual criminal believe is the cause of Anchorage’s crime problem?

So much for THAT theory.

Comments

comments