The Kentucky State Militia was a militia movement organization based in the state of Kentucky, United States. The paramilitary group[1] became known for a manhunt, which ended with the seizure of various firearms and ammunition, used by the group.[2]
| Kentucky State Militia | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Stephen Anderson |
| Dates of operation | c. 1996–2001 |
| Active regions | Kentucky, United States |
Crimes committed by members and ex-members edit
Stephen Howard Anderson, an adherent of the Christian Identity movement was previously a "major" in the Kentucky State Militia; he was expelled from the group in April 2001 after making a series of racist and antisemitic comments, with the group's "assistant commander" calling Anderson "a little too extreme for us."[3] Anderson had been known for his extremist broadcasts on a militia-themed short-wave radio show called the The Militia Hour, an illegal pirate radio program.[3][4]
In October 2001, Anderson fired gunshots at a Bell County, Kentucky deputy sheriff at a traffic stop; Anderson had been pulled over for lacking functioning taillights. At the traffic stop, Anderson claimed that he was "on patrol" with the Kentucky State Militia and was heavily armed; he fled police and fired several rifle shots before abandoning his pickup truck in Middlesboro, Kentucky, loaded with a cache of ammunition and pipe bombs. Indicted on explosive charges in federal court in Kentucky, he fled into the mountains, where he became a fugitive wanted by the FBI, ATF, and Kentucky State Police.[3][5][6][7]
On November 22, 2002, Anderson was arrested by police in a rural part of Cherokee County, North Carolina.[4][8][9] The arrest came following a tip from a person who had seen a June 2002 segment on America's Most Wanted profiling Anderson.[10][9] Anderson issued an apology for his actions, pleaded guilty, and was convicted of weapons charges stemming from the confrontation with police; in May 2003, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison.[4]
Charles N. Puckett was commander of the group until resigning in September 2001. He was arrested in February 2002 for illegally possessing guns and other weapons (which Puckett, as a previously convicted felon, could not legally possess). Puckett fled from house arrest before turning himself in about three weeks later. He subsequently entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, in which he admitted to two weapons charges and to intimidating a witness.[11] He was sentenced to 30 months and a day in prison, followed by supervised probation.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b "Former militia leader sentenced on weapons charges". Wave3 News. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- ^ "Kentucky State Militia". TRAC Terrorism. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c Lance Williams and Bill Estep (October 16, 2001). "Ex-militia member flees into highland". Lexington Herald-Leader.
- ^ a b c Hans Johnson (April 12, 2011). "America's Most Wanted Pirate Broadcaster". Radio World.
- ^ Gene Baker, ed. (November 2003). "Reward for Fugitive Steve Anderson Increased". ATF Explosives Industry Newsletter. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
- ^ "Police on alert for man accused of shooting at Bell County sheriff's cruiser (page 1)". Corbin Times Tribune. Newspaper Archive. October 17, 2001.
- ^ "Police on alert for man accused of shooting at Bell County sheriff's cruiser (page 2)". Corbin Times Tribune. Newspaper Archive. October 17, 2001.
- ^ "Kentucky Shortwave Militia Pirate Arrested In North Carolina". Diy Media. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "Former militia member arrested in NC". WFMY News 2. November 22, 2002.
- ^ "WANTED STEPHEN HOWARD ANDERSON". Unsolved Mysteries. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- ^ "Former militia leader sentenced on weapons charges". Wave3 News. Retrieved March 2, 2020.