WANTED MILITIA LEADER SURRENDERS

Lexington Herald-Leader ^ | Fri, Apr. 05, 2002 | Louise Taylor and Greg Kocher

[toddst]

Posted on Fri, Apr. 05, 2002 WANTED MILITIA LEADER SURRENDERS PUCKETT HAD FLED FROM HOUSE ARREST By Louise Taylor and Greg Kocher HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS

Charlie Puckett, the commander of the Kentucky State Militia, quietly turned himself in to authorities yesterday after three weeks on the lam and was promptly lodged in the Fayette County jail.

During a brief hearing in U.S. District Court, Puckett's attorney, Gatewood Galbraith, stipulated that his client had slipped out of an electronic monitor and "absconded" from house arrest on March 13.

"We don't want to insult this court's intelligence," Galbraith told Magistrate Judge James Todd.

Puckett vanished late March 13, perhaps inspired to flee because that same night a note was left on the door of his Garrard County home saying he "was going to be the target of an assassination attempt by federal agents," Galbraith said outside court.

"Agents provocateurs may have planted the note," Galbraith said, explaining that another militia group, Republic of Texas, has been trying to tell its Kentucky cousins how to operate and wanted to use Puckett's indictment on federal weapons charges to provoke a "confrontation."

Puckett has said that he is the commander of the Kentucky State Militia, a civilian paramilitary group that experts think is one of the most active in the country.

The February indictment charges Puckett with being a felon illegally owning guns, pipe bombs and almost 35,000 rounds of ammunition. A revised indictment later added a count saying Puckett intimidated a witness.

Puckett called the seizure of his guns and weapons a theft of private property and a violation of his rights. He argued that the 1968 federal gun control act prohibiting felons from owning guns does not apply to him because he was convicted of a felony two years before the law's enactment.

After Puckett vanished -- and Galbraith said yesterday he did not know where he went -- Galbraith suggested that Puckett may have been kidnapped. Galbraith said many "scoffed" at him over the kidnapping remark, but that he has known Puckett for almost a decade and that he is not the sort to flee. "Charlie is not a scofflaw. ... I knew something extraordinary had happened.

"His son told me that after Charlie got that letter (on his door), he acted differently.... That note fit the extraordinary aspect of it."

That son, Charles D. Puckett, had also been missing. But after he determined that no charges were pending against him he arranged for his father's surrender yesterday to Joe Walker, the Jessamine County sheriff. Walker could not be reached for comment yesterday, but Galbraith said Walker is a friend of Puckett and will testify on his behalf at trial. Puckett is to be arraigned Tuesday on the new indictment and a trial date will be set then.

Garrard County Sheriff Ronnie Wardrip, who knows Puckett, said he was pleased with yesterday's outcome.

"I'm just glad he turned himself in," Wardrip said. "I think he will fare better out of it."

Galbraith said he had spoken only briefly with Puckett since his surrender, but that he thought Puckett would leave the helm of the militia. "There's just too much politics in it," Galbraith said. "He wants to get back with his wife and work on cars."

Meanwhile, Puckett has a major court battle looming that Galbraith said he will win. One count against Puckett -- intimidating a witness -- was simply baffling, Galbraith added: "But if it's as flimsy as the government's other nine charges, bring it on."

Asked why Puckett hadn't simply sought police help after the assassination note, Galbraith said the government had not shown itself to be a friend of his client.

Said Galbraith: "Henry Kissinger used to say, 'It's OK to be paranoid because there is a they out there, and they are out to get you.'"

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reach Louise Taylor at (859) 231-3205, 1-800-950-6397 Ext. 3205 or ltaylor@herald-leader.com. Reach Greg Kocher in the Nicholasville bureau at (859) 885-5775 or gkocher1@herald-leader.com.

[NMC EXP]

I carry a Zippo lighter and break wind a lot. Guess I'm a human bomb, or more accurately a human flamethrower. I bet I can make it thru the best airport security with these bomb making materials. Quick, somebody call the ATF...I'm a menace to society.

Regards

J.R.

[Poohbah]

So how did you like how your Feds just gave visas to the WTC mass murderers?

Actually, I do like that, because it means that it's much more likely that the INS will get massively overhauled and the deadwood cut away.

After all, you seem to love it.

[Centurion2000]

Nothing scarier than a well-armed nut.

I'll take well armed nuts over F Troop and the crap that we have called the federal government anyday.

[AppyPappy]

I would get psychiatric help.

[AppyPappy]

The people at Waco were not assassinated. They refused to surrender. They could have walked out at any time. Koresh could have sent the women and children out and they would be alive today. This guy here was under house arrest. If he thought the government was going to "assassinate" him, he could have invited people to his house as witnesses.

Face it, he's a paranoid nut.

[AppyPappy]

You are more likely to encounter a well-armed nut than a over-armed fed cowboy.

[RGSpincich]

Asked why Puckett hadn't simply sought police help after the assassination note, Galbraith said the government had not shown itself to be a friend of his client.

Obviously the best evidence here is the "assassination note". Where is it?

Said Galbraith: "Henry Kissinger used to say, 'It's OK to be paranoid because there is a they out there, and they are out to get you.'"

The "assassination note" must be analyzed to help determine who "they" are.

[tpaine]

They are all the same type of person, fer sure.

FR has become infested with the socalled 'moderate' conservative Republican. -- RINO's.
They truly do not understand that constitutional conservatism, - fighting for a free republic, - cannot be accomplished by supporting the statist quo that exists today in ALL levels of government.

[Fred Mertz]

It's possible that Puckett was kidnapped.

[toddst]

Our screwed up world today......they leave the illegal ME sleeper cells in the country and go after gun owning patriots! I hope someone in the area will keep us informed on this case.

I will be happy to do so. Anyone with specific questions is welcome to FReepmail me. I live in Lexington, KY and have a strong interest in knowing what happens to (with) Charlie Puckett.

[tpaine]

Why are you arguing in favor of unconstitutional ex post facto law?

[B. A. Conservative]

The scariest thing I know is living in a country with so many Democrats in the government. And now we have a government that wants to disarm its own people. Are we merely serfs living at the pleasure of tyrannts?

[toddst]

Asked why Puckett hadn't simply sought police help after the assassination note, Galbraith said the government had not shown itself to be a friend of his client. Obviously the best evidence here is the "assassination note". Where is it? Said Galbraith: "Henry Kissinger used to say, 'It's OK to be paranoid because there is a they out there, and they are out to get you.'" The "assassination note" must be analyzed to help determine who "they" are.

This situation is more complex that it appears on the surface. Some have said there is a Texas militia group involved here that may have applied pressure to Charlie Puckett and/or tried to take over the KY militia organization. Let's see what Charlie Pucketts' attorney does with this.

[AppyPappy]

Who would want to kidnap him? He said he left to avoid a fed assassination.

[verity]

You need some background music: duelling banjos:~)

[AppyPappy]

Why didn't they simply surrender? That's the question. No one supports the fed decision to burn them out. But why didn't they surrender? What were they hoping to gain by staying there and waiting for starvation to set in?

[AppyPappy]

You consider any rational non-schizophrenic person to be a moderate. I'll never understand why people on FR become so enamored with wacked-out fruitcakes who dress up like GI Joe and play militia. Half of them are undercover feds anyway.