Border-watch group leader pleads not guilty to recklessly firing rifle

Arizona Daily Star ^ | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 | Michael Marizco

[yonif]

The leader of a Sierra Vista-based border-watch group pleaded not guilty in Cochise County Superior Court Monday to a felony count of reckless discharge of a firearm.

Glenn Spencer, leader of American Border Patrol, was originally facing charges that included felonies for firing a rifle outside of his home in August, hitting a neighbor's garage, but a grand jury did not indict him on the more serious counts.

The charge of reckless discharge of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in jail and a $150,000 fine, said Vincent Festa, a prosecutor with the Cochise County Attorney's Office.

Spencer has said he was concerned about a recent burglary and death threats he had received, and that he fired after hearing noises outside his home.

Spencer says he felt he needed to defend himself when he opened fire in his backyard in early August."In my mind, that was exactly what I was doing," he said.

Spencer said he still plans to move his operation closer to the border and will soon launch the first missions of his unmanned aerial vehicles — small, remote-controlled surveillance aircraft — this week.

The group will download the video feed from the four remote-controlled airplanes to its Web site. That will let Internet visitors watch what happens along the border "from the comfort of their own computer," Spencer said.

[dighton]

Spencer says he felt he needed to defend himself when he opened fire in his backyard in early August."In my mind, that was exactly what I was doing," he said.

Fired at what, exactly?

I defer to your judgement.

[Spiff]

Fired at what, exactly?

The ground.

[TLI]

Glenn Spencer, leader of American Border Patrol, was originally facing charges that included felonies for firing a rifle outside of his home in August, hitting a neighbor's garage, but a grand jury did not indict him on the more serious counts.

The charge of reckless discharge of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in jail and a $150,000 fine, said Vincent Festa, a prosecutor with the Cochise County Attorney's Office.

No bias from Mr. Festa, right?

Spencer has said he was concerned about a recent burglary and death threats he had received, and that he fired after hearing noises outside his home.

I can't see him actually firing based on just some "noises." There must have been more to it than that.

Spencer says he felt he needed to defend himself when he opened fire in his backyard in early August."In my mind, that was exactly what I was doing," he said.

I suppoise I would prefer Glen to fire a single round in self defense rather than a group of cops banging off 91 rounds, hitting no real targets, just peppering the general vicinity...

TLI

[Travis McGee]

Gracias amigo. My guess is that Glenn was justifiably afraid after receiving repeated death threats, and then suffering intrusions and thefts by people he believed to have been the sponsors of some of the death threats.

What he was really shooting at on that particular night, only he knows. Maybe he was shooting at a stealth intruder, maybe he was shooting at the product of his imagination, I don't know. Some of his lead wound up in a neighbors garage I believe. As we know, we are responsible for all of our lead, so he is guilty of that. Did his reasonable fears justify the shots? Hard to say, I was not there that night.

All that said, this incident is a good example of why folks in his situation should set up a good defensive perimeter based on motion activated outdoor lighting, guard dogs, night vision devices etc.

Watch your back Glenn, we're with you.

[gubamyster]

ping

[Missouri]

My guess is that Glenn was justifiably afraid after receiving repeated death threats, and then suffering intrusions and thefts by people he believed to have been the sponsors of some of the death threats.

Whats the old saying? Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

[Travis McGee]

True, but you still have to be careful, because you're responsible for your bullets down range.

[Missouri]

No doubt. I do think the left is out to get Glenn and something must be done to protect him.

[Travis McGee]

"Out to get him" does not, I fear, come close to his daily reality.