Customers at Adrian restaurant weigh in on Hutaree probe
Alpha Koney Island patron Bob Fultz Sr. of Adrian talks Tuesday about the arrests of Hutaree members.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Bob Fultz questions how members of the Hutaree militia, who are accused of plotting to kill law enforcement officers, claim to be Christians.
“They need to sit down and pray,” said Fultz, as he ate a corn dog for lunch this afternoon at Alpha Koney Island Restaurant in downtown Adrian. "They need to find Jesus.”
The city of Adrian, which has a population of roughly 22,000, was thrust into the national spotlight Saturday when the FBI began conducting raids in the area. AnnArbor.com was the first to report on Sunday that Hutaree was being targeted.
Fultz, 59, who runs a Christian ministry that helps ex-offenders get their lives on track, said what those "folks are doing is very scary.”
“I was surprised and I was saddened that someone would call themselves Christians when their intents are less than that,” he said.
Alpha Koney Island patron Felipe Villarreal of Adrian reacts to the news of militia raids in the area.
Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com
By Monday night, nine members of the Lenawee County-based militia unit had been taken into custody on charges including attempting to use weapons of mass destruction.
Among the allegations is that members discussed killing a law enforcement officer, then attacking officers who attended the funeral.Â
That didn't sit well with customers at the North Main Street restaurant, including 64-year-old Joan Ebbitt, a mental health counselor.
Ebbitt hadn't heard of the Hutaree, which is based in Dover Township, roughly 10 miles from downtown.
She would prefer Adrian be recognized for its university, symphony, live theater and the generosity of its residents, she said. Nonetheless, she’s grateful for the FBI crackdown.
“I’m delighted that they raided them,” she said. “I think these people have very unusual thinking when they think they can carry out the killing of a cop…It really concerns me that they are bringing up their children in the same way.”
Felipe Villarreal, 51, a former security guard who has spent his entire life in Adrian, said he has been familiar with Hutaree for four years.
It’s unfortunate, he said, that all Americans lose freedoms as a result of the actions of such groups. People can’t carry pocket knives anymore without arousing suspicion, he said.
“When you make threats like that to the government and especially law enforcement, it’s just uncalled for,” he said. “These guys have been around a while, and they’ve just been getting out of hand.”
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
MjC
Wed, Mar 31, 2010 : 10:57 a.m.
fjord and Jedi - What is wrong with a local online paper interviewing local area residents? As if their opinion and thoughts don't matter? That said, I am put off by the way this interview begins (They need to sit down and pray, said Fultz, as he ate a corn dog for lunch this afternoon at Alpha Koney Island Restaurant in downtown Adrian. "They need to find Jesus.) To me it would have been a more respectful article if it began with "Bob Fultz, 59, who runs a Christian ministry that helps ex-offenders get their lives on track, said what those 'folks are doing is very scary.' Describing right from the start what this man does makes me want to hear what he has to say. I'm not so interested in the fact that he's eating a corn dog.
RoboLogic
Wed, Mar 31, 2010 : 8:34 a.m.
My guess is that this restaurant is directly across the street from the Lenawee County Courthouse, and it was convenient to the reporter for some quick community feedback. A question that remains unanswered to me is... Why were these guys so angry at local law enforcement, when negative contact with them was negligible?
limmy
Wed, Mar 31, 2010 : 8:28 a.m.
"They need to find Jesus". That's the problem. They already have! Just ask them.
2CynicAl
Wed, Mar 31, 2010 : 8:19 a.m.
Its no suprise to me that these interviews were conducted at the Alpha Coney in Adrian. This is a known establishment that is frequented my "ultra-patriots" in the Adrian area. I sense that this reporter was probing for angry sympathizers to the Hutaree's cause. Typical media manipulation. I am just happy that these people represented the true feelings of the Adrian people.
Bryan123
Wed, Mar 31, 2010 : 6:29 a.m.
Why is it that when comments on a story presume guilt of people charged with a crime, then they're deleted, but it's OK for the story itself to be comments that presume guilt? If the charges are proven, then I'm all for putting these people in jail for a very long time.
Jed I Knight
Wed, Mar 31, 2010 : 6:25 a.m.
fjord:"How, exactly, is this "news"?...or a "top story"? If I wanted the opinions of a bunch of random people at a restaurant, I'd go ask them myself." > It's not news: It's annarbor.com
racerx
Wed, Mar 31, 2010 : 2:04 a.m.
As he ate a corn dog? I thought this was a seasonal food item and only served during carnivals and fairs.
roadsidedinerlover
Tue, Mar 30, 2010 : 10:09 p.m.
I hope the writer will come to Manchester and interview the residents here about the Manchester Township man who was arrested. There were other Hutaree members mentioned that are from Manchester. Frankly, I am appalled and embarassed that they are from my town. I abhor these people and what they stand for!