Feds Detail Alleged Hutaree Plot To Kill Cops
Ogden Man Among Those Indicted
DETROIT – A Blissfield area man was among nine members of a “Christian” militia indicted in United States District Court Monday on federal charges of conspiracy and attempting to use weapons of mass of destruction.
Joshua John Clough, 28, of Bruce Highway in Ogden Township, was a member of a militia group called Hutaree, whose website includes the motto, “Preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive.”
The indictment claims that Hutaree planned to kill a member of local law enforcement and then use improvise explosive devices to attack law enforcement vehicles during the funeral procession.
Clough was arrested during federal law enforcement raids that took place in Lenawee and Washtenaw counties and in Ohio Saturday and Sunday. Law enforcement blocked off Bruce Highway in Ogden Township Saturday evening and searched the Clough residence for hours. Neighbors attempting to return home were greeted by Kevlar-wearing, assault rifle-carrying law enforcement officers demanding to see identification.
Also indicted were alleged Hutaree members David Brian Stone, 45; his wife, Tina Stone, 44; his son, Joshua Matthew Stone, 21, of Clayton, Mich.; and his other son, David Brian Stone, Jr., 19, of Adrian; Michael Meeks, 40 of Manchester; Thomas Piatek, 46, of Whiting, Ind.; Kristopher Sickles, 27, of Sandusky, Ohio, and Jacob Ward, 33, of Huron, Ohio.
All are in custody except Joshua Stone, who is considered a fugitive. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to call (313) 965-2323.
According to the indictment, Hutaree members view local, state, and federal law enforcement as the “brotherhood”, their enemy, and have been preparing to engage them in armed conflict.
The indictment further alleges that the Hutaree planned to kill an unidentified member of local law enforcement and then attack the law enforcement officers who gather in Michigan for the funeral. According to the plan, the Hutaree would attack law enforcement vehicles during the funeral procession with Improvised Explosive Devices with Explosively Formed Projectiles, which, according to the indictment, constitute weapons of mass destruction. Subsequently, and in furtherance of this plan, David Brian Stone, the Hutaree’s leader, obtained information about such devices over the internet and emailed diagrams of such devices to a person he believed capable of manufacturing the devices. He then allegedly had his son, Joshua Matthew Stone, and others gather materials necessary for the manufacturing of such devices.
According to the indictment, in June 2009, David Brian Stone and his other son, David Brian Stone, Jr., taught other Hutaree members how to make and use explosive devices intending or knowing that the information would be used to further a crime of violence. In addition, the grand jury charged all nine defendants with carrying or possessing a firearm during a crime of violence on at least one occasion.
“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 U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade in a prepared statement.
"This is an example of radical and extremist fringe groups which can be found throughout our society. 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. The FBI would like to thank our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who are member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, for their assistance in this case," said Andrew Arena, FBI Special Agent in Charge.
The charge of seditious conspiracy carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, Attempted Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction carries a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison, Teaching the Use of Explosives Materials carriers a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and Possessing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence carries a mandatory minimum penalty of at least 5 years in prison.
Arraignment and bond hearings were set for 1 p.m. Wednesday.
On Sunday, the Advance reached Bruce Highway residents in Ogden Township.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she and her family had never seen anything like it.
“We pulled up to our street and there were police officers wearing Kevlar and holding assault rifles. They wanted to see our identification before we could pass the checkpoint,” she said. “It was frightening.”
She said police were searching a home at the “top of the hill.” She did not name the residents but said that they kept to themselves and were relatively unknown to her family.
“Their children didn’t go to Blissfield schools and they didn’t play with our kids,” she said
She said police investigated the property into the wee hours, flooding the pole barn with light and pulling up a van to move things in and out.
Federal and state law enforcement also conducted a massive operation on Sword Highway, west of Sand Creek, Saturday and Sunday. Arrests were also made in Hammond, Ind., and Huron and Sandusky, Ohio.
Members of other militia groups were quick to separate themselves from the Hutaree militia. “The Lenawee Militia has not been raided by the FBI. We do nothing illegal,” was the posting on the front page of www.lenaweemilitia.com.
A posting on the front page of the Michigan Militia’s website expressed a similar message:
“Neither Michiganmilitia.com nor the (Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia) have been “raided” by the FBI. We do nothing illegal. Both the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia and the staff of Michiganmilitia.com condemn attacks or threats of any sort against our elected representatives. We also condemn those who would use these attacks to further their agenda. If you don’t like your representatives, then recall them, or elect someone else, or run for office yourself.”
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