Editor Pinedale Roundup on BATF Raid: "Something Isn't Right"

Pinedale Roundup, Pinedale, Wyoming ^ | January 17, 2002 | Rob Shaul

[Old Badger]

Pinedale Roundup

From the pages of
The Pinedale Roundup
Volume 96, Number 16 - January 17, 2002
brought to you online by Pinedale Online

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Opinion

by Rob Shaul, Editor

Talk to the Girlfriend

Talk to the Girlfriend?

I'm having difficulty with U.S. Attorney Matthew Mead and Sublette County Sheriff Hank Ruland's explanation of the December 16, 2001 BATF raid on Craig Storer's trailer in Bargerville.

First, Mr. Mead maintains that the purpose of the raid was to "contact the female companion ... in order to learn additional information."

If the BATF agents wanted to question Mr. Storer's girlfriend, why did law enforcement officers show up at the trailer in overwhelming force, with guns drawn and begin pounding on the front door? Isn't this an awfully aggressive and threatening way to question a potential informant?

Mr. Mead claims that the BATF agents didn't know that Mr. would be at the trailer. But, according to Mr. Mead's own letter, the BATF did know that Mr. Storer may be staying at the trailer. You would think the agents would have known for sure of Mr. Storer's whereabouts before knocking on the door that Sunday morning.

Sheriff Ruland says the officers arrived in force, heavily armed and at the ready that Sunday morning because they wanted to err on the cautious side, and do all they could to protect officers' safety. This makes perfect sense on the surface, however, according to Mr. Mead, the BATF and Sheriff's Office were told that Mr. Storer might violently resist arrest, and had made plans to eventually approach Mr. Storer while he was away from his home and "safely away from the community at large."

If indeed officer safety was paramount as Sheriff Ruland claims, why didn't the BATF and deputies wait until they knew Mr. Storer was not at the trailer before trying to contact his girlfriend? By not taking this obvious precaution, they put themselves, Mr. Storer and his girlfriend at risk of a violent confrontation.

Further, Mr. Storer's trailer is very near at least one other Bargerville residence. Mr. Mead said the authorities had information that Mr. Storer had fully automatic weapons and explosives such as grenades. If a major fire fight had broken erupted, innocent Sublette County residents could have been caught in the crossfire.

Mr. Mead verified that an application for a search warrant for the trailer was never presented to a federal judge for consideration. I find this chilling, especially given that the BATF first inquired about an application for a search warrant on Thursday, Dec. 13, three days ahead of the raid on Mr. Storer's trailer. There was certainly enough time to present a warrant to a judge.

Mr. Mead's explanation of the raid has only raised more questions. Something isn't right.

See The Archives for past articles.

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Copyright © 2002 The Pinedale Roundup
All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means must have permission of the Publisher.
The Pinedale Roundup, PO Box 100, Pinedale, WY 82941   Phone 307-367-2123
Publisher/Editor: Rob Shaul   editor@pinedaleroundup.com

[Old Badger]

This Editor keeps right on asking the pertinent questions. Here's the link to the original article raid article; here's the link to the interview.

Free Republic was mention as a "more conservative" web site in another article by Jason Mundy of The Pinedale Roundup. Unfortunately the article wasn't posted on their site. I decided after my last disastrous encounter with HTML and posting the original articles on my minuscule web site I'd forgo trying to post it and wind up having a repeat performance.

However, if you want to see the effect of Free Republic's spreading the news around the country, check out Letter's to the Editor of The Pinedale Roundup as "Reader's Respond To Story On ATF Search". Thank you Free Republic!!

[steve50]

Now we know why the Patriot Act went thru in the middle of the nite. And still they sleep

[EBUCK]

Because the Sheriff's office has no jurisdiction to enforce laws pertaining to illegal firearms, the ATF was contacted. The ATF began its own investigation of Mr. Storer, said Mr. Raftery."

Local cops have no jurisdiction on illegal firearms? What? That means the ATF has jurisdiction in all events? That's scary!

EBUCK

[Joe Brower]

[Destructor]

"If the BATF agents wanted to question Mr. Storer's girlfriend, why did law enforcement officers show up at the trailer in overwhelming force, with guns drawn and begin pounding on the front door? Isn't this an awfully aggressive and threatening way to question a potential informant?

The BATF agents were probably looking for another good Media Photo Op. Obviously, BATF didn't learn a damn thing from Waco!

[Blood of Tyrants]

The entire ATF smells.

[EBUCK]

I sure hope so.

EBUCK

[Red Jones]

I've been reading horror story after horror story after horror story concerning the BATF. You name it, they've done it. You'd think that our congress would de-fund the organization and move their functions and perhaps most of their personnel into other agencies in order to show that this jack-booted thug culture of theirs is no good. About 8 years ago there was a serious effort by some to do that in Congress. The effort failed though. Instead the BATF gets the largest budget increases for any of the 18 federal law enforcement agencies. It is a sign that all is not well in America.

In my town of 400,000 people the police chief allowed the BATF to come in and raid this one gun dealer. The gun dealer's crime was that he failed to pay a $100 fee to the city to operate a pawn shop. The gun dealer tried to do everything legal, but the city employees didn't know about the pawn shop fee requirement for gun dealers, so they didn't tell him about it even though he asked if he'd gotten all his permits taken care of. It was a local law that hadn't been enforced for years. The BATF people found it on the books and then coerced the city police to participate in the raid against this fellow over this $100 fee he hadn't paid. They roughed him up, roughed up his neighbor even who merely came out of his house to watch. Then they threw all his antique guns across a room and into a barrel precisely so that they could harm this individual's property. There are many other shocking examples of this jack-booted thug culture in that organization. They've been known to chase the family cats around the back yard in order to stomp them to death. They've been known to shove a 9 month pregnant woman against a wall so violently that she miscarries as a result.

It is the apparatus of fascism. Republican cheerleaders beware!!!

[headsonpikes]

Please contact site admin to have your hateful post removed.

It's just not possible that U.S. Government employees, these brave ATFer's, could be so disrespectful towards Americans.

You should be ashamed of yourself!

(sarcasm off)

[Old Badger]

"Local cops have no jurisdiction on illegal firearms? What? That means the ATF has jurisdiction in all events? That's scary!"

No so................. unless this case involving another Sheriff has been overruled: "Check it out HERE"

[EBUCK]

I read that prev. but what about the statement about no local jusidiction? Think that the writer of the orig. article was mistaken?

EBUCK

[Old Badger]

"Think that the writer of the orig. article was mistaken?"

No the reporter has the facts exactly right.............the Sheriff has made that remark a number of times. The question was raised "What would he do if the local bank was robbed....call the feds and wait?

[EBUCK]

Intolerable!!!!

Time to elect a new sheriff eh?

EBUCK

[Mulder]

Now we know why the Patriot Act went thru in the middle of the nite. And still they sleep

No kidding.

In another post about this event, the newspaper article claimed that the BATF could have confiscated the guy's .50 caliber rifle under the new "Patriot Act".

[Blood of Tyrants]

I have heard about that before. Hmmmm...should I run for local sherrif? My platform would be that I would not allow federal LEO's unless I am convinced that they are operating within the law and the Constitution.

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[Old Badger]

bump