Judge Rules Charged Hutaree Members Can Be Released Until Trial

Members of the Hutaree militia: Joshua Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr. (left-right, top row); Michael Meeks, David Stone, Sr., Joshua Clough (second row); Kristopher Sickles, Jacob Ward, Thomas Piatek (bottom row).
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Nine members of the Hutaree militia group accused of plotting against the government can be released until their trial.

The nine members of the Christian militia group were indicted in March on multiple charges involving an alleged plot to attack police, including seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction.

Judge Victoria A Roberts ruled in U.S District Court in Michigan’s eastern district that the Hutaree members don’t present a flight risk, and that the government failed to prove that they present enough of a danger to the community to be held until trial.

“Due to the complexity of the case, and the number of defendants, defendants say they could be in jail for a long time, awaiting trial,” Roberts wrote.

The defendants will be released under the following conditions, among others:

  • They’ll be confined to home detention with electronic monitoring and curfews.
  • They must surrender licenses to carry or buy firearms.
  • They’ll be subject to drug testing.
  • They can’t drink alcohol.
  • They must seek or maintain employment.

Here’s the ruling:

Check out TPMmuckraker’s full Hutaree coverage here.

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