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Police unable to locate barricaded man in burned home's rubble {raid on Michigan Militia Chaplin}
AP via MLive.com (Ann Arbor News) ^
| 7/9/2003
| JAMES PRICHARD
Posted on 07/09/2003 5:52:58 AM PDT by Vigilant1
DAYTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) ? Fire burned the rural home of a man who barricaded himself inside during a deadly police standoff, but authorities were unable to find him when they searched the rubble, Michigan State Police said.
Two hours after the Tuesday afternoon fire, officials found a backpack filled with food and ammunition about three-quarters of a mile away, said Tracy Pardo, a state police communications officer.
The wife of the barricaded man, Scott Allen Woodring, 40, identified the backpack as her husband's, Pardo told the Detroit Free Press for a Wednesday story.
State police said Woodring was believed to be inside when they fired a concussion grenade into the house, which went up in flames a short time later. They were uncertain whether the explosive device, intended to stun Woodring, started the fire or if he set it.
State police scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning.
Trooper Kevin Marshall, a 33-year-old married father of two and a native of Sterling Heights, was shot Monday afternoon during the standoff. He died later during surgery at a Grand Rapids hospital.
State police were called in after the confrontation erupted Sunday night.
Woodring barricaded himself when officers from the Hesperia Police Department and the Newaygo County Sheriff's Department tried to serve him at his Dayton Township home with a felony arrest warrant. The township is adjacent to Fremont, about 30 miles northeast of Muskegon.
The warrant accuses Woodring of soliciting a minor for sex on July 1 at a gas station, The Grand Rapids Press reported.
Several hours into the standoff, police helped Woodring's wife escape the home, leaving him alone inside.
After Woodring allegedly fired two shots from the house on Monday afternoon, the State Police Emergency Support Team stormed inside and then withdrew. Marshall, an eight-year state police veteran who served on the team, was shot at that time.
When asked whether Marshall could have been hit by a bullet shot by another officer, state police Inspector Barry Getzen said the matter remained under investigation and authorities would examine evidence to "determine what rounds the officer was hit with."
Tom Wayne, former chief of staff and executive officer of the Michigan Militia Corps Wolverines, told The Detroit News that Woodring was active in the group until the mid-1990s. They parted ways over ideological differences.
"He started getting more and more into the Christian Identity movement," said Wayne, who said the militia is largely inactive now.
The movement espouses racist, sexist, anti-Semitic and homophobic beliefs.
Woodring's sister, Debbie DeVisser, of Mount Pleasant, described her brother as a deeply religious man who would help anyone and not ask for anything in return.
Asked if she thought he would shoot at someone, DeVisser said, "Scott would not shoot anybody to harm anybody. The only reason he would have shot (at police) was because he felt threatened and to protect himself."
DeVisser said she wished police had allowed family members to talk to Woodring on Tuesday and speculated that family may have been able to talk him out. Relatives were allowed to converse with him on Monday, the same day police said they last spoke with him during the standoff.
Suzie Burdick, of Everett Township in Newaygo County, said she and Woodring have been close friends for five years. She said they have attended the same church for about a year and often spoke several times a day, mostly about the Bible.
Burdick noted that while Woodring holds strong anti-government views, he was a nonviolent person.
"He's the most loving person I've ever known, just about. He's kind, considerate, loving, caring and loved his wife dearly," Burdick said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered flags at all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff until sundown of the day of Marshall's funeral. Funeral arrangements have not yet been completed, according to her office.
Marshall is the 49th Michigan State Police trooper to die in the line of duty. His death is the department's first in three years.
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: banglist; chaplain; christianidentity; michigan; michiganmilitia; militia
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To: Poohbah
Doubtful.
221
posted on
07/09/2003 10:19:28 AM PDT
by
wysiwyg
(What parts of "right of the people" and "shall not be infringed" do you not understand?)
To: Poohbah
I really wonder if these folks ever stop to consider the consequences of their actions.Well, let's see: you've got someone facing a felony sex charge which'd be plea bargained down to a misdemeanor--or if he got lucky, a muni ticket. But nope, he barricades himself in his house, lets the cops know he's armed, he lets his wife go after 3 hours, after 18 hours, the cops go in, a cop is dead, another injured, he takes off, there's warrant out for his arrest for open murder and felony firearms charge.
There just doesn't seem to be a lot of Deep Thought going on here--unless he either wants to spend the rest of his life in a supermax or dies in a shootout with the police.
222
posted on
07/09/2003 10:28:25 AM PDT
by
Catspaw
To: Chancellor Palpatine
The best pic of all was the guy who not only had the all camo on without a lick of orange, had his face painted, and was carrying two antlers.This was for deer gun season? Oh, lordy, what a hoot!
223
posted on
07/09/2003 10:29:32 AM PDT
by
Catspaw
To: Catspaw
"This was for deer gun season?"Archery.
To: wysiwyg
No, no, no. Camo SUVs and trucks are just fine, albeit unnecessary IMO. (Chrome-festooned and "tricked-out" SUVs and trucks are completely ridiculous.)LOL, I like the lowered SUVs, with all the chrome....
225
posted on
07/09/2003 10:35:39 AM PDT
by
Joe Hadenuf
(RECALL DAVIS, position his smoking chair over a trapdoor, a memo for the next governor.)
To: spunkets
I know :-)) My 1st hubby did the early deer bow season, the deer gun season and the late deer bow season (and also pheasant, duck, goose...you name it). He had both camo & blaze orange in his hunting/fishing closet (and it was a BIG closet). I even made him a reversible knit hunting cap, blaze orange on one side, camo on the other. He loved that cap--and I ended up making caps like his for all of his buddies.
226
posted on
07/09/2003 10:42:52 AM PDT
by
Catspaw
To: Catspaw; Roscoe
Interesting article. Bringing the text over because the linked site sometimes drops articles quickly.
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news-2/105776201911850.xml Suspect involved for years in anti-government groups
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
FROM WIRE SERVICES REPORTS
Scott Allen Woodring, sought by police in a deadly standoff, was known to many in Fremont, including police.
Between 1996 and 2000, he had 11 city, township and state violations, all of them misdemeanors or civil infractions, according to Newaygo County Prosecutor's Office administrator Angela Moore.
Woodring appeared in court to argue against such laws as license plate renewals, although he always paid resulting fines, Moore said.
"Typical militia stuff, but nothing to indicate this type of reaction," she said.
Tom Wayne, former chief of staff and executive officer of the Michigan Militia Corps Wolverines, told The Detroit News that Woodring was active in the group until the mid-1990s. They parted ways over ideological differences.
"He started getting more and more into the Christian Identity movement," said Wayne, who said the militia is largely inactive now.
Christian Identity espouses racist, sexist, anti-Semitic and homophobic beliefs.
"He was misguided in a lot of his stuff. We used to be friends," Wayne said. "I tried to take him out of this stuff, but it was too ingrained with these other clowns.
"He was a nice guy."
Woodring modeled his beliefs after the Freemen of Montana, a Christian Identity sect that made national headlines in 1996 when they held off federal FBI agents in an 81-day standoff in Montana.
That year Woodring ran unsuccessfully for the post of Dayton Township supervisor in rural Newaygo County on an antigovernment platform modeled after the Freemen.
That same year, he attended a gathering in Kansas City where so-called delegates to a Third Continental Congress planned the downfall of the United States government.
Woodring worked at Gerber Products food plant several years ago, and his wife, Darlene "Cookie" Woodring, has worked there for 22 years.
Plant workers said Scott Woodring was called "Train Tracks" because of his fascination with trains that passed through the township of about 2,000 people that abuts the city of Fremont. He frequently took notes about trains, the cargo and identification numbers.
"When Scott felt threatened, he would act on the threat," said Felix Weglarz, a 49-year-old father of two who worked with Woodring years ago at Gerber.
Weglarz described Woodring as a honest man but a bit of an eccentric loner. "If they'd contacted those who knew him best, they would not have stormed the house."
He also frequently wrote letters to the editor to The Chronicle and other newspapers decrying his perception that morality in America was on the decline or addressing minutia of Biblical or Constitutional history.
About a month before the alleged sex solicitation, he wrote one in to the Times Indicator, a Fremont weekly, headlined "Indecency."
In it, he attacked policy- makers for lax rulings on moral behavior issues. He quoted religious texts in the May 28 issue, saying "I have this against you, you perit Jezebel to teach My servants that sex sin is not a serious matter."
In other letters, he implores readers to "honor their creator," study the Bible, practice stewardship, save the environment and observe the Sabbath.
Suzie Burdick, of Everett Township in Newaygo County, said she and Woodring have been close friends. Burdick noted that while Woodring holds strong anti-government views, he was nonviolent.
"He's the most loving person I've ever known, just about. He's kind, considerate, loving, caring and loved his wife dearly," Burdick said.
To: RGSpincich; hchutch; Chancellor Palpatine
Plant workers said Scott Woodring was called "Train Tracks" because of his fascination with trains that passed through the township of about 2,000 people that abuts the city of Fremont. He frequently took notes about trains, the cargo and identification numbers.You know, if I knew that a guy who was invited to leave a militia because he was too radical for their tastes was watching and taking copious notes on trains, their cargo, and their ID numbers...I'd be concerned.
228
posted on
07/09/2003 12:22:06 PM PDT
by
Poohbah
(Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.)
To: Poohbah
Me, too. He just might decide to do something nasty since he has little left to lose.
Does Michigan have the death penalty for cop-killers?
229
posted on
07/09/2003 12:44:28 PM PDT
by
hchutch
(The National League needs to adopt the designated hitter rule.)
To: hchutch
Nope. No death penalty, period.
230
posted on
07/09/2003 12:45:04 PM PDT
by
Poohbah
(Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.)
To: Poohbah
MSP feel that Woodring had most likely left the house in Fremont prior to the attempted forced entry. Police stated that Woodring may have left as early as Monday afternoon. A search of the ruins has yet to turn up any evidence of Woodring and the MSP have gone over to a search and arrest plan. A warrant for Woodring's arrest has been issued on charges of Open Murder and Felony Firearms. Anyone with any information is asked to call 1-800-991-TIPS
Tell me if he left on Monday....who shot the officer?? Are they going to try to charge him with murder if he wasn't even there?
http://www.wzzm.com/news/newsdefaultpopoff.asp?cmd=view&articleid=7643
231
posted on
07/09/2003 12:52:47 PM PDT
by
SCR1
To: SCR1
I believe the officer was wounded during the forced entry, well if the Michigan state police think he wasn't even there then they just admitted it was friendly fire that killed the officer.
Funny they still have a warrant for murder againstt him.....hmmm.
232
posted on
07/09/2003 12:55:00 PM PDT
by
SCR1
To: Vigilant1
Read the article. They can't find his body in the rubble, and they found his backpack (identified by his wife as his) full of food & ammo, 3/4 mile from the house two hours after the fire. That seems to indicate he got away. Not only did he get away ... he got away, left evidence that he was alive via the backpack of weapons, ammo and food which says a couple of other things.
1) There was no immediate pursuit of him.
2) He has geocaches elsewhere that he is confident that he can get to
3) That this will escalate. That backpack was a message
233
posted on
07/09/2003 1:01:48 PM PDT
by
Centurion2000
(We are crushing our enemies, seeing him driven before us and hearing the lamentations of the liberal)
To: SCR1
well if the Michigan state police think he wasn't even there then they just admitted it was friendly fire that killed the officer. You must have missed the silly posts speculating about a "trap gun" that fired multiple shots in multiple directsions hitting two different officers.
To: SCR1
I believe the officer was wounded during the forced entry, well if the Michigan state police think he wasn't even there then they just admitted it was friendly fire that killed the officer. Funny they still have a warrant for murder againstt him.....hmmm.Yes, there seems to be a few details missing here.
235
posted on
07/09/2003 1:19:26 PM PDT
by
Joe Hadenuf
(RECALL DAVIS, position his smoking chair over a trapdoor, a memo for the next governor.)
To: HurkinMcGurkin
You must have missed the silly posts speculating about a "trap gun" that fired multiple shots in multiple directions hitting two different officers. Hehehe.....
236
posted on
07/09/2003 1:24:35 PM PDT
by
Joe Hadenuf
(RECALL DAVIS, position his smoking chair over a trapdoor, a memo for the next governor.)
To: SCR1
Tell me if he left on Monday....who shot the officer?? Are they going to try to charge him with murder if he wasn't even there? And that is what I am waiting to hear about. Interesting.....
237
posted on
07/09/2003 1:27:06 PM PDT
by
Joe Hadenuf
(RECALL DAVIS, position his smoking chair over a trapdoor, a memo for the next governor.)
To: Catspaw
"He loved that cap--"Those handmade items are the best ones.
To: Poohbah
Given he's on the lam now, I expect his family, friends and associates to be monitored closely.
239
posted on
07/09/2003 2:27:49 PM PDT
by
Catspaw
To: Catspaw
You'd hope so. I just hope no one else dies before they can bring him in. Hopefully, he'll negotiate to turn himself in in front of a camera crew. If he's that paranoid, the cameras should help...
240
posted on
07/09/2003 2:57:06 PM PDT
by
Dead Corpse
(For an Evil Super Genius, you aren't too bright are you?)
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