Milita Trial – Prosecution Rests & Motions Heard
My plan was to just play catch up with the notes and testimony I’ve already heard, but today was just too exciting not to want to get this out to you in a timely way. So that means I have a couple witnesses for the prosecution still waiting to be reported on, but they will have to find a comfortable place somewhere in the series of tubes to hang out for a while. Today, court started half an hour early. I, alas, did not. Motions are being heard as I walk into the courtroom. Nelson Traverso for Schaeffer Cox, and…
Militia Trial: The Tale Of The Tape
After having been in court for a couple weeks, I’ve had the occasion to meet many people associated with the trial, and they have been kind enough to share their observations with me regarding times I’ve missed. I learned several things I’m going to share, but first off, guess how militia leader Schaeffer Cox first met FBI informant JR Olson? You’ll never guess, so I’ll tell you. It was at a political fundraiser for… wait for it… Rep. Tammie Wilson of North Pole. Small state. I am in court for the second day that JR Olson is on the stand…
Militia Trial: FBI Informant Testifies
What an interesting day in court, in which we find out that one Mr. Bill Fulton, (now disappeared, and formerly of the Drop Zone military surplus store) has one giant potty mouth. I’m guessing his mother wasn’t an “open up, here’s the bar of soap” kinda gal. Monday’s only witness for the afternoon session was JR Olson, one of two FBI informants in the case, and someone whose testimony I’ve been eagerly awaiting. He is “an unsavory character with a checkered past” as my grandmother would say. You might even call him a “ne’er do well.” And in exchange for…
Militia Trial: Armed Guards & Being Followed
Witness Victoria Thompson enters the court room wearing a long bright red cable-knit cardigan sweater. She is the News director for KJNP radio/TV in North Pole and she says she lives “on the KJNP compound.” KJNP stands for ‘King Jesus North Pole.’ The radio station has a gospel music format. She seems unhappy to be here. She doesn’t turn her head to face the prosecutor, but looks sideways while facing straight ahead. She is 72 years old and has been “in the news business” since she was 15. The prosecutor asks her if her allergies are bothering her. She says…
Militia Trial: Insider Witness Surprises
Michael Orion Anderson is on the stand when I arrive in court at the 2-4-1 Militia Trial, also known as the US vs. Scheaffer Cox, Coleman Barney and Lonnie Vernon. Anderson is the “insider” that the prosecution promised to produce for the jury in their opening statement. But what we learn from Anderson doesn’t quite live up to the previews. It’s not that his testimony isn’t dramatic or compelling. It’s that and more – a desperate suicide attempt in prison, destroying a hard drive with a hammer, a first person account of an enraged FBI informant threatening to slit the…
Militia Trial – The Book of Armaments, Chapter Three
I rushed in to the court house on Day 3 of the trial of Schaeffer Cox, Coleman Barney, and Lonnie Vernon, and did the security drill. I passed the first checkpoint, but the second screening caused the security man to say, “Do you have any batteries in there?” Asking me if I have any batteries in my bag is like asking me if there’s a loose button in my house. I’m sure there must be, but I cannot verify it for sure, or tell you exactly where it is… And so the rifling through my giant saddle bag began –…