Hutaree members describe FBI raid at phony memorial service in Ann Arbor
Wendy Lineweaver sensed something was up when she arrived at a Ann Arbor warehouse last month for a hastily arranged memorial service for a fellow Hutaree member.
The warehouse’s parking lot off Varsity Drive was empty, with the exception of a white moving truck.
Hutaree members had arrived in two cars about 6:10 p.m. after meeting at the Lineweaver's home in Manchester an hour earlier.
Five of them wouldn't be going home that night.
A large sticker of Hutaree’s distinctive green patch was plastered on the warehouse door, which Lineweaver thought was tacky because the Christian militia unit didn’t own the property.
When Lineweaver, her husband Ken, their 18-year-old son, and five other Hutaree members walked inside, she was struck by the apparent lack of effort put into organizing the service. A few sandwiches, some bags of chips and bottles of pop had been plopped on a table.
While members were there to mourn “Dan,” also known by his Hutaree name, “Keebelik,” his family was nowhere to be found. On a cinderblock wall, "weird nicknames" were written in black marker, she said.
On their way inside, Hutaree leader David Stone had told them they would each have to select a name from the wall, she said. Lineweaver had no idea what purpose the names served or who wrote them.
“What it told me is that he had been in that warehouse before,” she said.
Keebelik’s "battle dress uniform" was draped over a chair sitting on a table, with a white candle lit beside it, Ken Lineweaver said. Roughly 20 folding chairs were arranged around a brand new television hooked up to a DVD player. At one point, Wendy Lineweaver saw a loft with boxes on it, but steps leading up to it were missing. The first step was more than five feet above the floor.
“All the stairs were freshly sawed off except the top two,” she said.
Hutaree member "Scott," who organized the service and told Stone that Keebelik had died, was there when everyone arrived. Lineweaver said he was "extremely nervous."
She wondered how he got there because she didn't see his nice truck with New Jersey license plates parked outside.
“His voice was shaking when I spoke to him,” she said.
“I asked this Scott guy, ‘How come you didn’t call us and tell us to bring some food?” she said.
According to Lineweaver, he replied, "Oh, I told Dave he doesn’t need to worry about it."
Despite the eerie feeling, everyone stayed at the service to honor Dan, the Lineweavers said.
Joshua Clough, Michael Meeks, David Stone's wife Tina Stone and his son David Stone Jr. were the other Hutaree members there, Wendy Lineweaver said. That made nine people total. One hasn't been seen or heard from since, Lineweaver said.
“Every instinct was telling me to get out, but I liked Dan or thought I did,” she said.
The phony service
Hutaree members helped themselves to some food, then sat down to share their memories of Dan. Wendy Lineweaver told David Stone he would have to retire the Keebelik nickname because Dan had passed away.
He replied, “Oh yeah, we’re definitely gonna do that,” she said.
Stone had been making up his own language, said Ken Lineweaver, who had a nickname of his own but couldn't recall it.
Scott said his "wife" put together a slideshow, but was "sick," so couldn't make the service. He turned on the DVD player and started the program. There were photographs of Keebelik with a soundtrack of Hutaree's favorite band, "Poker Face." The music was blaring. Wendy Lineweaver noticed mistakes in the program, including a misspelling of Keebelik's name and a reference to Hutaree as "The Hutaree."
"There must have been about 15 red flags that I totally ignored," she said.
There were photographs from David Stone's wedding, pictures of Stone and Dan together and photographs of Joshua Stone's wedding a couple weeks earlier. Wendy Lineweaver remembered seeing Scott's "wife" at the recent wedding and noticed how much effort she put into taking photographs.
“She was taking pictures of everyone at all different angles,” Lineweaver said.
The FBI raid
Fifteen minutes into the service, Scott tapped David Stone on the shoulder and motioned for Stone to follow him outside, Ken Lineweaver said. The door slammed loudly behind them. Everyone perked up.
“We all looked at each other like, 'What in the hell was that?'” he said.
The music was still blaring. Twenty seconds ticked by. Then more than 20 men in "riot gear" stormed in, carrying M-4 assault rifles, Wendy Lineweaver said.
Associated Press photo
“Don’t move! Don’t move!” they were yelling.
“Everybody sat there and just stared at them,” she said. “Nobody moved. We all had this glazed look in our eyes like it was a joke. I thought, ‘What, is Dave testing us?”
Lineweaver looked at the men in their olive drab uniforms, Kevlar helmets and bulletproof vests, searching for something that would identify them.
“Then I saw the FBI patches,” she said.
Lineweaver said she told herself she would cooperate because she didn’t do anything wrong. The agents ordered everyone to put their hands on the back of their heads and lock their fingers together. One by one, Hutaree members were told to stand up against the wall with their backs to the agents, Wendy Lineweaver said.
Their hands were put in zip ties, their shoes removed, and they were assisted to a face-down position on the floor and searched, the Lineweavers said.
The reason no Hutaree members had weapons, Wendy Lineweaver said, was because they didn't carry them everywhere they went. Members were not in uniforms, but in everyday clothing, Ken Lineweaver said.
David Stone, Tina Stone, David Stone Jr., Joshua Clough and Michael Meeks were arrested, the Lineweavers said. The Lineweavers were told they weren't being charged and were questioned in separate rooms. Wendy Lineweaver was questioned for 45 minutes, but her husband and stepson were questioned for about two hours, she said.
Agents asked what they knew about Hutaree members building explosives or possessing automatic weapons, Lineweaver said. Neither she nor her husband had any relevant information, she said.
Ken Lineweaver told AnnArbor.com no Hutaree members ever discussed explosives. He attended about 10 Hutaree trainings, he said.
“Nobody talked about making bombs,” Lineweaver said. "We never had any bomb-making classes and if somebody was, I never heard about it.”
One agent asked Lineweaver if he hated the government, he said. Lineweaver said he didn't.
“We (the people) are the government,” Lineweaver recalled telling the agent.
An agent asked Wendy Lineweaver whether she hated cops, she said.
Lineweaver said she explained she worked with Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies to search for missing Bridgewater Township residents. She told AnnArbor.com she doesn't have any issues with local cops or federal law enforcement agents.
"Those guys that interviewed me are federal agents and they treated me with respect,” she said. “Those guys were nice.”
A traumatic experience
Lineweaver, her husband and their son returned home. Lineweaver said her stepson went to bed, but she and her husband went to a Manchester Township home to talk to members of the Michigan Militia Corps Wolverines, 9th Division, 13th Brigade. The members had just finished a meeting.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
"We went through the whole thing with those guys, and naturally they were upset," she said.
"It's just been horrible. We didn't sleep for two days."
Meanwhile, FBI agents in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana executed eight search warrants in a four-and-a-half hour span during the raids targeting Hutaree. The indictment wasn't unsealed until two days later.
That's when the Lineweavers learned nine Hutaree members were accused of conspiring to levy war against the United States. Among other allegations, investigators say members discussed killing a cop, then attacking the funeral procession motorcade with homemade bombs.
“When the indictment got unsealed, it was really hard to believe that was the case,” Wendy Lineweaver said. “It was a really hard pill to swallow.”
Lineweaver is a nursing assistant, and her husband of nine years is a contractor. They were members of the unit for roughly two years. To join, someone simply had to show up for training, Ken Lineweaver said.
The Lineweavers said they are not aware of any Hutaree members making threats against law enforcement. If someone wanted to harm a cop, Wendy Lineweaver said they would have had to get past her first.
She said she wasn't aware of the e-mail prosecutors say David Stone sent Dec. 8, 2008, encouraging militia members to fight the ATF.
"We have nothing to hide, and we didn't have anything to do with it," she said. "I don't condone any attack on any form of law enforcement."
Scott, his wife and Dan
The Lineweavers suspect Scott and his "wife," whose name they don't recall, are both undercover agents. They suspect Dan is an undercover agent or informant, they said.
FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold, a bureau spokeswoman in Detroit, declined to comment Friday about the memorial service.
The FBI has said an undercover agent infiltrated Hutaree.
Dan told the Lineweavers he was a former Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia (SMVM) member, but joined Hutaree because he liked the unit more.
SMVM members have said they cooperated in the FBI's probe.
But SMVM spokesman Mike Lackomar said Friday he's never heard of Dan.
Dan appeared to be in his mid-50s and complained of minor health issues, the Lineweavers said. At one training, his knee was hurting him, Ken Lineweaver said. At another, he said he wasn't feeling well, but simply wanted to watch.
When the Lineweavers look back on everything, one training in Manchester Township stands out, they said, but they don't recall the date. Dan had a bandage on his hand.
“He said a "cop's weapon discharged at a shooting range and grazed his hand," Wendy Lineweaver said. Lineweaver said she told him she felt bad for him.
Ken Lineweaver recalled the night of March 25, when David Stone called to tell him about the memorial service that was scheduled for the 27th.
"He said Scott had called him, saying that Dan had died and his wife already had the funeral and come get this Hutaree (expletive) out of my house," Lineweaver said.
The Lineweavers never met Dan's wife. Like Scott, they didn't know Dan's last name. Dan claimed to work for an auto company, they said. When people showed up at trainings, Wendy Lineweaver said she didn't get involved in their business.
Waiting for the details
Of all the Hutaree members, the Lineweavers said they know Michael Meeks and Thomas Piatek the best. Both men are charged in the indictment. The Lineweavers cannot believe those two would be involved in illegal activity, they said.
Ken Lineweaver said he met Piatek at militia member Mark Koernke's house in Dexter a couple years ago. He met Meeks at an event Koernke attended in Livonia three years ago, he said.
Prosecutors say Meeks, an ex-Marine, was a heavy gunner and trusted member of Hutaree's inner-circle. Investigators say he made a hit list of federal judges and elected officials. Wendy Lineweaver said she never heard of any such list.
"That's what I'm most upset about is Mike," she said. "He would have run a million miles the other way had he even had a whiff of any of this."
The Lineweavers weren't that close with David Stone, they said. But when Wendy Lineweaver was around him, she never heard him preaching, she said.
"If I had thought these people were right-wing wacko Christian freaks, I wouldn't have even gone near them," she said.
She acknowledges she wasn't always around Hutaree members, including when prosecutors say David Stone gave a speech recorded by an undercover agent, saying it was "time to strike and take our nation back."
Wendy Lineweaver isn't aware of a covert reconnaissance operation that prosecutors say Hutaree planned for this month that could have put an unsuspecting member of the public at risk.
"If there's any validity to it, it would be really unfortunate that (David) would put his friends and family in danger like that," she said.
Ken Lineweaver trained with Hutaree mostly because he enjoyed the exercise. He liked playing capture the flag during training, he said.
"That was fun," he said. "We’d split the group into two teams. One team would go out and hide and the other team would try to find them until they walked into their ambush or whatever.”
One time, David Stone set up fishing line during training on his Dover Township property and if somebody stumbled upon it, a "party popper" would go off, Lineweaver said.
Wendy Lineweaver wants people to know that the word Hutaree doesn't mean anything, she said. "Dave said it just sounded cool - that's why he picked it," she said.
The Lineweavers estimate there were about 20 members in the unit. It wasn't sophisticated enough to carry out any of the alleged plans, Wendy Lineweaver said.
"They couldn't have planned their way out of a paper sack," she said. "Trying to make these bozos into a paramilitary organization is ludicrous."
Ken Lineweaver is waiting to see how it plays out in court.
“I’d like to see the truth come out about what really went on,” he said. “I hope and pray that happens. Was Dave really plotting to do this? I’d like to find that out.”
Wendy Lineweaver said: "It's best to reserve judgment."
"These guys are innocent until proven guilty."
Lee Higgins is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
charles lightoller
Mon, Apr 19, 2010 : 10:40 p.m.
The colonial militias were not freelance citizen groups. They were part of local and colonial governments.
Anonymous Due to Bigotry
Mon, Apr 19, 2010 : 9:08 p.m.
Tru2Blu76: I wasn't claiming that random militia groups carried out the whole of the American Revolution, but they did play a role. Even if not a direct role most of the time, they freed-up regular military forces so they could be used in an offensive capacity. Also, partisan military resistance is hardly a dead and ineffective tactic in this day and age. As the Iraqi insurgents know, partisans don't have to go head-on with regular military on the battlefield to be effective; they just have to raise the cost of occupying an area to the point where it doesn't make sense to stay there.
Ian
Mon, Apr 19, 2010 : 7:33 p.m.
@Ian: What's with your determination to legitimize these small town bar flies who like to carry semi-auto rifles?? Lets face it - those polls you cite SAY NOTHING ABOUT THE NEED OR DESIRE TO FORM MILITIAS." First of all, semi-automatic guns are legal. Second, they, like you and me, have rights. They are innocent until proven guilty. Finally, have you not paid attention to anything that has happened during the past few years. Like, illegal wire tapping, imprisonment without a trial, torture, Obama authorizing the execution of U.S. citizens, etc., etc., etc. Obviously you have been spending far too much time on TV. Rest of your rambling isn't worth replying to.
Ian
Mon, Apr 19, 2010 : 11:44 a.m.
I'd say the militias are more mainstream than most people believe. That is clearly indicated in the latest poll. Quote, "The poll found that 30 percent of Americans believe the federal government is a "major threat" to their personal freedom, up sharply from 18 percent in a comparable ABC-Washington Post poll in 2003." "The most threatened? 50 percent of Republican-leaning independents said their government threatens their freedom, followed by 43 percent of Republicans, 21 percent of Democratic-leaning independents, and 18 percent of Democrats." Pew Research http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/18/92394/poll-americans-distrust-of-federal.html#ixzz0lZ5gF2S4 It appears people are waking up and not being fooled by the propaganda. These people are probably far more informed than most.
Anonymous Due to Bigotry
Mon, Apr 19, 2010 : 7:29 a.m.
"These reforms are NEVER INSTITUTED OR MANDATED BY MILITIAS." That's complete nonsense. The American Revolution was just such a "reform"! However, that's an extreme situation. We have a guide to tell us when such a "reform" is needed: it's called the Declaration of Independence. It's happened before and it'll happen again eventually. Not sure why you think history is over now. Interestingly enough, most people in militias happen to study things like the constitution and declaration of independence while others apparently do not. So I wouldn't get too paranoid about militias trying to overthrow the government every time the guy they voted for didn't get elected. Anyway, what's with annarbor.com's Hutaree obsession? It's getting a little old. I think a little investigative reporting at the CCRB might be more useful.
Steve Pepple
Mon, Apr 19, 2010 : 7:07 a.m.
A comment was removed because it contained an attack against another commenter.
charles lightoller
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 11:46 p.m.
So these people went to military training, acquired weaponry beyond that usually used for hunting or self defense and are totally surpirsied there was a political dimension to this activity? You bet they are making denials of knowing anything about anything. Let's get this straight: You amass weapons and ammo and talk about bringinng down law enforcement, you better be ready to deal. People that carry weapons for a living and have to deal with all the crazies that make up a good portion of American society these days are going to take you down. This ain't no dinner party.
Ian
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 6:40 p.m.
@True2Blu I do not follow your logic. You say that the government is corrupt, yet oppose the millita for opposing or preparing to defend against corruption? Maybe you believe government is only corrupt when it comes to supporting big business. I ask that you look a little deeper. The rabbit hole goes much deeper than you think.
dading dont delete me bro
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 2:54 p.m.
is this a hard read or what? david stone was the hutaree leader, but it seems he was the signal, by slamming the door on the way out for the fbi to raid? it's a weird read mechanically.
bedrog
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 2:53 p.m.
clara...these are not "my " hateful stereotypes on teapartiers or militia types.....and the "leftist" ny times remains far more credible in its analyses and reportage than 'paid to rant' glenn beck and ol' 'thayrone' and the internet ( no oversight standards on accuracy whatsoever). and as to "hateful ( and downright lying )stereotypes" tell me, with a straight face, that most ( maybe not all but most) teapartiers dont buy into the " obama is a muslim mole /non citizen "nonsense.... most of those in your group and militias were out for this guys blood before his oath of office was even finished...and the fringe left wasnt far behind.... and you know it. puhleeze.
Ian
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 2:17 p.m.
@clara Love your stats. I will back you up with this report by Matt Taibbi from Rolling Stone Magazine. A must watch! This should upset 99% of all Americans. No wonder the Hutaree want to take America back. The Hutaree, in some ways, are expressing the sentiments of the American people. Unfortunately, most American people don't realize it. That is why the government is so scared and are trying to suppress decent. Thus, the arrest of the Hutaree. Matt Taibbi - Government by Goldman Sachs http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/674.html
Ian
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 2:06 p.m.
@gibby We have some of the best witnesses stating there was nothing going on. Only thing you know is what you have been told by the government. Only allegations and hearsay. I'd trust witnesses over an FBI informant that is doing everything possible to pin something on these guys. Here are key quotes: Nobody talked about making bombs, Lineweaver said. "We never had any bomb-making classes and if somebody was, I never heard about it. Don't forget the dangerous "bomb making materials" like the toilet boil cleaning chemicals. When the indictment got unsealed, it was really hard to believe that was the case, "They couldn't have planned their way out of a paper sack," she said. "Trying to make these bozos into a paramilitary organization is ludicrous." Law enforcement brings out armored vehicles, automatic weapons, the Anti-terrorism Task Force, and the FBI for these guys. I am trying not to laugh. I think a couple of police officers and a nice talk would have sufficed. Save everyone the grief, time and money.
clara
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 1:45 p.m.
@bedrog You brought up the tea party movement. I responded to your hateful, stereotypical rantings. Don't put everyone in the same boat. You repeatedly quote the NY Times, a well know Left paper. Rasmussen Reports says that as of April 13, 2010, 24% of Americans claim to be a part of the tea party movement. The rise in Tea party support is perhaps not surprising at a time when more voters than ever (58%) favor repeal of the national health care plan just passed by Democrats in Congress and signed into law by President Obama. Forty-two percent (42%) of Republicans say they are part of the movement, compared to nine percent (9%) of Democrats and 24% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Ninety-four percent (94%) believe the federal government has become a special interest group that looks out primarily for its own interests. That view is held by 67% of all voters nationwide. Seventy-four percent (74%) believe that government and big business work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors. Thats very close to the national average. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of all voters hold that view. Voters remain closely divided in their views of the movement which formally came to life a year ago on Tax Day, April 15, to protest the high-tax, big-government policies of both major political parties.
gibby76
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 12:58 p.m.
@Technojunkie huh? where do you get off calling the assaultists terrorists? people trying to undermine the government and assail the freedoms of the population are terrorists. not condoning the assault but get off it dude. btw, these "militias" really aren't for more freedom for the american people, they just want more power. :P
gibby76
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 12:45 p.m.
yea Ian I'm not saying they don't have a right to bear arms or go around playing their little paint ball or shoot out games whatever :P the fact the dude made a list (*cough* hm parallel to palin's virtual "dart board"? hmm) show's intent and COULD DO HARM.
bedrog
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 12:34 p.m.
MODERATOR: im here responding to CLARA above, even tho this thread is about huttaree and not teaparty, so please be gentle re cesorship: @clara...your "grassrooots " movement has alot of weeds evidently. the NY times pegs the 17% of the population who teaparty as overwhelmingly right wing republicans, with clearly more than a dash of those silly enough...like madam would be V.P.... to deny evolution and climate change. and,from this thread and others, those who are rank over the top "conspiracy theorists", whatever they may call themselves, have piggybacked on its largely internet and FOX-generated notoriety. allowing for the fact that there may indeed be some rational teaparty folks, narrowly and legitimately focussed on fiscal issues,when you rally with the above may i recommend you recall the old adage: "when you lie down with pigs, you get covered in..."...well, you know!
Technojunkie
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 11:27 a.m.
Domestic terrorists brutally beat two political activists: http://thehayride.com/2010/04/the-brennans-beatdown-piecing-together-a-story/ Oh wait, the activists were young Republicans and their attackers were five white leftists, some group called the Iron Rail Gang. Odd the difference in attention between those guys and the all-talk Hutaree. Not saying that the Hutaree are innocent, it's just interesting how differently violent leftists are treated.
Jeff Punch
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 11:09 a.m.
@Ian You cannot condemn or persecute people just because they "could" harm. Not the issue- the allegation is that they planned to harm. I agree that this all seems like overkill given what was found, and it is very possible that it was all a fantasy with no real intent. But, I think some of the skepticism derives from not being able to fathom that anyone would do what this group suposedly planned to do. I think the McVeigh's of the world, and the people who think he is a hero, show us that it is possible.
Ian
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 10:55 a.m.
@gibby "Issue is not how did they harm, issue is who could they harm." I am a peace loving person but I could harm a lot of people. You cannot condemn or persecute people just because they "could" harm. Also, our Constitution grants us the right to bare arms. There is nothing wrong or illegal to train to defend oneself. I believe most militias train to defend. I believe the phrase is, "to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Which is an oath our military and law enforcement take when they enlist. Nothing right-wing or illegal to defend. Actually, it is the patriotic thing to do.
gibby76
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 10:37 a.m.
@Ian, " If they really want change, they need to put their guns down and TALK! :P Sinn Fein in Ireland did it, they can too!" "Who did they ever harm? " Issue is not how did they harm, issue is who could they harm. :P they're radicals, but's true if these right-wing "bozos" as wendy calls them really could articulate themselves for real change then they'd put their weapons down and work with it. true it probably is just a paintball Group Gone Wild :D
Ian
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 10:19 a.m.
@gibby, " If they really want change, they need to put their guns down and TALK! :P Sinn Fein in Ireland did it, they can too!" Who did they ever harm?
Ian
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 10:15 a.m.
To follow-up to my earlier post. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Chris Hedges. People should really be afraid. I think this aricle is very relevant to what is happening with the Hutaree. "One Day We'll All Be Terrorists" http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/one_day_well_all_be_terrorists_20091228/
gibby76
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 10:14 a.m.
see those dudes need a new banner. like a reverse swastika to symbolize chaos and disorder (to contrast peace and order as is indicated by the Hindu tree symbol :O). If they really want change, they need to put their guns down and TALK! :P Sinn Fein in Ireland did it, they can too!
genericreg
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 10:08 a.m.
"When people showed up at trainings, Wendy Lineweaver said she didn't get involved in their business." I guess this is a wake up call. If you are going to form a quasi military unit, take the time to ask if any of the people shooting guns next to you are psycho.
clara
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 9:54 a.m.
@bedrog The tea party movement does not want the elimination of all taxes. Just reasonable taxes and services. The FBI would be one organization that needs to be funded. There are many others that should not be funded. I am sorry you are so misinformed about this truly grass roots movement.
Ian
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 9:31 a.m.
"The FBI has said an undercover agent infiltrated Hutaree." Looking more and more like these people were set-up and framed. No evidence. All hearsay and allegations. Unfortunately, the public will eat it up and believe there are domestic terrorist everywhere. Conditioning the public to believe anyone that decents or speak out against the government is evil right-wing terrorist. Rule by fear is working. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7100318.ece
BelindaThurston
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 8:27 a.m.
Keep up the good work Lee.
xmo
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 7:08 a.m.
These people sound like "Hope and Change" was not going fast enough for them!
bedrog
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 6:21 a.m.
many of history's most mischievous and destructive movements have been comprised of bozos and losers... glad our taxes include the FBI, (despite what 'tea partiers' want).