The man the government says planted a bomb made out of a Pepsi can at a voting facility in Arkansas on the day of a Democratic primary last summer has now been charged for possessing unregistered weapons including a short barrel rifle, three machine guns and three silencers.
Federal prosecutors are also requesting a delay in the case against Mark Krause to allow more time for the FBI lab to finish its work. They have also charged Krause’s friend Michael Pierce with lying to federal officials about possessing the weapons, which had been stored in Pierce’s home.
According to a superseding indictment filed on Feb. 24, Pierce allegedly told a cooperating witness on Dec. 4 that he told FBI agents he didn’t have any more of Krause’s possessions but told the cooperating witness he still had his stuff (including the weapons). Pierce was released on $5,000 bond.
A federal defender for Krause wrote last week that the government’s motion was simply a “delay tactic the government is using to buy more time to investigate because the government does not have a case against Mr. Krause.”
The government is violating Krause’s constitutional rights by “allowing Mr. Krause to languish in jail while the government takes its leisurely time investigating Mr. Krause in hopes of finding an offense,” federal defender Bruce Eddy wrote on Krause’s behalf in a motion filed last week. Eddy accused the government of being on a “witch hunt” for Krause.
While the government has previously said Krause had writings on “militia extremism,” Krause’s friends say Krause was a liberal and have said he would never be involved in an anti-government group.
