Arrests-Guns & Meth-Denver

[22-rimfire]

Three men arrested in Aurora, Colo., on methamphetamine and firearms charges may have been plotting to assassinate Barack Obama, FBI authorities told FOX News late Monday, although local officials are still pondering the intent of the suspects.

Aurora Police Detective Marcus Dudley identified Tharin Gartrell, 28, as one suspect pulled over for a routine traffic stop Sunday and found to be wanted on numerous warrants. Two rifles, including a sniper rifle, and methamphetamines were found in the car.

KCNC in Denver reported that Gartrell led police to a hotel in Glendale, where a second man, who police did not identify, tried to jump out a six-story window. He landed on an awning and took off, but broke his ankle. He was eventually taken into custody and a third man was also arrested.

The men may have ties to Sons of Silence, an outlaw biker group, and are believed to have connections with white supremacists. Federal sources said this incident may have had more to do with methamphetamine than with any plot to assassinate Obama, but local police did not say why they connected the men to the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Federal officials said verbal threats against Obama were made, but were not considered credible.

“This is a methamphetamine and firearms case that arose from a traffic stop made by an Aurora Police officer,” said Paul Bresson, an FBI national spokesman assigned to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this week. “Firearms and methamphetamine were seized and a number of individuals are in state custody. The matter continues to be under investigation. We’ll provide more information as it becomes available.”

“It could also turn out that these were nothing but a bunch of knuckleheads, meth heads,” a U.S. government official said.

Gartrell was being held at the Arapahoe County jail on $50,000 bail on a felony charge of special offender, drug violations. The jail said he did not have a lawyer yet but was due in court Thursday.

U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said in a statement that federal charges were anticipated. Eid did not elaborate, but officials with the FBI; Secret Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Aurora police set a news conference for Tuesday afternoon.

Aurora is located about 25 minutes from Denver.

FOX News’ Ian McCaleb and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Link: http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-possible-plot/


Fox News has been talking about it. I mostly wanted to get the story out to other THR folks rather than commenting on it at this time. But the whole thing has a bad smell to it.

 

[ATAShooter]

See, It's yahoo idiots like these morons that is going to get the Anti's panties in a wad. I tell you one thing, my hat is off to the Secret Service as they are going to have their hands full if Obama gets elected. I think individual idiots like these jerks are going to keep them on their toes constantly, and will give Anti's and liberals a load of ammo against the Armed American Citizen. From cases like this, they will try to legislate some gun control laws.

 

[TallPine]

“It could also turn out that these were nothing but a bunch of knuckleheads, meth heads,” a U.S. government official said.

Must have been a slow news day

Mountain, meet molehill.

 

[Happiness Is A Warm Gun]

Two rifles, including a sniper rifle

I want to see this "sniper rifle". 2:1 odds say it is a hunting rifle that is:
a) black in color (scariest color and also completely TACTICAL)
b) has a "scary snipery looking scope" (as in what reporter imagines what a sniper scope looks like)
c) is "automatic bullet-spraying death machine" as in semi-auto,
d) is ARMOR PIERCING (because it can penetrate a vest designed to stop pistol rounds)
e) all of the above.

 

[Drgong]

This reminds me that I MUST tape a steak knife to my all black autoloading savage .22 to make it into a EBR.

 

[TexasRifleman]

I think individual idiots like these jerks are going to keep them on their toes constantly, and will give Anti's and liberals a load of ammo against the Armed American Citizen.

Or they will make up threats where there are none simply because of the perception an Obama president would be "more of a target".

These idiots were not planning on killing anything except more of their own brain cells but anything gun related in Colorado this week is an "assassination attempt" on someone.....

 

[Robert]

I wanna see the sight picture that tweeker is going to have... He would be lucky to hit the ground.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Other stories claimed one of the guys confessed they were going to shoot from a high vantage point at about 750 yards out. CBS Link

 

[22-rimfire]

Believe it or not, methamphetamine would probably enhance a shooters ability to make a long shot.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I am not quite sure what these guys would actually accomplish. A .22-250 is NOT a 750 yd sniper rifle. Yes, it will shoot that far, and yes, it could kill at that distance, but it not what one would choose for a so-called "attempt". To me, it sounds like a group of drugged-up idiots who want attention. Like the law enforcement source said, they doubt this was a credible threat against the candidate. Since at least one of them is already a felon, the gun possession charges are appropriate, and they can go back to being Bubba's friend. Good job to law enforcement!- a definite improvement in judgment over the incident with hunter at the downtown hotel.

 

[shooting4life]

a definite improvement in judgment over the incident with hunter at the downtown hotel.

I agree

 

[Jeff White]

Not a credible threat

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92Q37AG1&show_article=1

Gun charges expected in Obama plot
Aug 26 12:43 PM US/Eastern
By STEVEN K. PAULSON and LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer

DENVER (AP) - Three men who authorities initially feared were plotting to assassinate Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention are facing only gun charges—signaling they never posed a real threat.

A federal law enforcement official in Denver said the three men and woman arrested on Sunday are not expected to be charged with making threatening statements, conspiracy or other national security-related crimes.

It's possible—but unlikely—that additional charges could come later, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the charges have not yet been filed.

One of the men was arrested near Denver with two rifles, ammunition, walkie-talkies and suspected drugs. Federal officials say two other men and a woman were apprehended a few hours later.

A news conference to discuss the charges is expected at 6 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

The likelihood of an assassination attempt on Democratic presidential candidate Obama was downplayed by law enforcement officials in Colorado and Washington.

"We're absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate, the Democratic National Convention, or the people of Colorado," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said in a statement.

One of the men arrested told KCNC-TV, the CBS affiliate in Denver, that others involved in the case had made racist statements regarding Obama and had discussed killing Obama on the day of the speech.

When asked if he felt there was a plot to kill Obama, Nathan Johnson said, "Looking back at it, I don't want to say yes, but I don't want to say no." Johnson was interviewed while being held in jail on drug charges. He said he wasn't involved in any plot.

Three senior FBI officials said it's unclear whether any of them were serious about carrying out threats. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

A fourth federal official familiar with the investigation said an assassination attempt was unlikely.

"The capability and their opportunity and what they had for their weaponry—I don't see that they would have been able to carry it out," the official said on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The action started around 1:30 a.m. Sunday when police in Aurora, a suburb east of Denver, stopped a truck that was swerving erratically. The driver, 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell, had a suspended driver's license, and the truck was rented in the name of another person, said Aurora police Detective Marcus Dudley.

In the truck, officers found two rifles, including one with a scope; a bulletproof vest; boxes of ammunition; walkie-talkies; and suspected narcotics. On edge because of heightened security surrounding the Democratic convention in Denver, Aurora police alerted federal authorities.

Later Sunday, federal agents arrested Johnson, 32, at a hotel in Denver. He was held on drug charges. A half-hour later, 33-year-old Shawn Robert Adolf jumped from a sixth-story window when authorities tried to arrest him at a hotel in suburban Glendale, police said.

Adolf was hospitalized and was being held on $1 million bond for several outstanding warrants involving drug charges. He had a handcuff key in one hand and a swastika ring on the other when he was arrested, a senior FBI official said.

Dudley said Gartrell was being investigated for methamphetamine and firearms violations. Gartrell, who has no known address, was being held at the Arapahoe County jail on $50,000 bail on drug and weapons charges. The jail said he was due in court Thursday.

The third person arrested was a woman described by federal authorities as the girlfriend of one of the men.

Law enforcement officials were also investigating whether the men were linked to vandalism shootings that targeted at least two federal buildings in Denver over the past two weeks. Windows were shot at the U.S. Custom House and the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Station on the same street in Denver's downtown Federal District.

Additionally, a bullet was recovered from a Hertz rental car that was hit on Aug. 15, and authorities are now looking to see if it could have matched the guns seized from the men.

___

Lara Jakes Jordan reported from Washington and Associated Press writers P. Solomon Banda in Denver and Eileen Sullivan in Washington contributed to this report.

 

[Cosmoline]

Gartrell led police to a hotel in Glendale, where a second man, who police did not identify, tried to jump out a six-story window. He landed on an awning and took off,

That man was subsequently awarded a silver medal in the Tweaker Olympics.

“It could also turn out that these were nothing but a bunch of knuckleheads, meth heads,” a U.S. government official said

YA THINK!? Gee, I've never known meth heads to come up with OUTLANDISH PLOTS and get PARANOID.

 

[Old Grump]

We have the story of the guy showing his gun to Biden and calling it his baby. Where was the outcry and the arrest but a guy carrying cased guns gets arrested. Now meth heads with plans to take a 750 yard shot from a high vantage point to shoot Obama. Why do I get the idea there has been some staging and posturing going on here. There isn't any drama at the convention and all of a sudden a bunch of gun guys are showing up with guns in the proximity of 2 anti-gun candidates. Anybody think a couple of these stories are cooked besides me.

 

[CWL]

I heard this when it first broke on TV, the reporter actually said:

"...found 2 rifles and a High-Powered Scope..."

They were obviously trying to spin a routine bust of lowlife meth dealers into a national story about NAZI assassins...

 

[Acera]

Ok, just curious, how far do I have to stay from Denver to not be considered a threat? I was thinking of going to the range here in Houston Texas on Thursday with a legitimate long range target rifle (Rem PSS in .300 Win Mag.) and don't want to be arrested and have my face all over the news.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

although local officials are still pondering the intent of the suspects.

That makes me laugh because that's exactly what a lot of law enforcement officials do when they try to ascribe an intent or motive to provable objective actions - they "ponder" (i.e. make up) a motive or intent.

Hey guys, to a journalist or anti (but I repeat myself), a gun does not have to have a black plastic stock in order to be labeled a "sniper rifle". ANY scoped turnbolt (or semi-auto) rifle - in a centerfire round is a "sniper rifle" in the biased parlance of the media and their gun ban agenda.

So to summarize, to the media, a "sniper rifle" has only 3 necessary components to make it such:
1. Turnbolt or semi-auto
2. Centerfire cartridge
3. Scope

The size of the round makes no difference; the size and power of the scope makes no difference. This is how they plan to introduce a sweeping ban even more broad than the so-called "assault weapons" bans. That's the next step in Calif, Mass, etc.

 

[Hoplophile]

My god, guns, meth, and BIKERS. The trifecta of ultimate power has been invoked. We are surely doomed. Let's ban guns, meth, and bikes.

(Note to readers: I'm joking)

(Second note to readers: Motorcycles are an environmentally friendly, efficient, and stupid fast method of transportation. Buy one!)

 

[TallPine]

police in Aurora, a suburb east of Denver, stopped a truck that was swerving erratically

Yeah, that's the way to run an assasination conspiracy - DUI at 1.30am ...

 

[K-Romulus]

An article I found said the only scope was on a .22 rifle most likely a 10-22. . . "750 yard shot" indeed . . .

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Conventions/story?id=5657439&page=1

Suspects Allegedly Plotted Obama Shooting
Officials: Men Sought High Vantage Point at Invesco Field but 'No Credible Threat' Present
By RICHARD ESPOSITO, JACK DATE and PIERRE THOMAS

Aug. 26, 2008—

Three men, one of whom allegedly has strong ties to a white supremacist gang, have admitted to a "crude" plan to use a rifle to kill Sen. Barack Obama, federal law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The sources said the men planned to seek a high vantage point overlooking Invesco Field and open fire with .22 and .270 scope-equipped rifles, though federal authorities have emphasized that there was no immediate, credible threat to the senator.

Obama, who will travel to Denver this week, is set to accept the Democratic Party's nomination for president and speak at the stadium Thursday.

Sources said that with wind movement and distance, such a shot would not have had a chance of succeeding, and described the alleged plot as "crude." Additionally, a senior U.S. government official said, the U.S. Secret Service has set up wide perimeter around the venue, which would have kept a shooter from accessing the area, and that guns allegedly in the possession of one of the suspects were not high-powered enough for a shot to travel a long distance.

According to ABC News sources, the investigation started after police stopped Tharin Robert Gartrell, 28, for erratic driving early Sunday morning.

His rented Dodge Ram truck contained two bulletproof vests, wigs, ski masks, walkie-talkies, methamphetamine, a .270 Remington and a .22 Ruger rifle with scope, sources told ABC News. Police said Monday that they believe one of the guns had been stolen.

A law enforcement official told ABC News that Gartrell pointed a finger at two of his associates.

Authorities arrested, 32-year-old Nathan Johnson and 33-year-old Shawn Robert Adolph, after questioning Gartrell.

The law enforcement official told ABC News that Gartrell said Johnson and Adolph had plotted against Obama, though investigators have found nothing to corroborate any plot on the part of Adolph and Johnson.

All three men had tattoos of white supremacist imagery, authorities told ABC News.

Authorities said all three suspects spoke to investigators, but it is unclear how much of what they allegedly said is racist rhetoric and how much is part of any plan, however unsophisticated.

A senior U.S. government official added that authorites believe the men have apparent methamphetamine problems and would not likely be capable of pulling off any attack.

Federal law enforcement sources described Adolph as a "longtime white supremacist thug," and added that at least one of the men is allegedly linked to the notorious Sons of Silence motorcycle gang.

U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said in a statement that the matter is still under investigation, but that federal authorities are working "hand-in-glove" with the local authorities, specifically the Aurora, Colo., Police Department.

"We can say this: We're absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate, the Democratic National Convention or the people of Colorado," Eid added.

All three men are expected to face felony gun charges and probable drug charges. Federal prosecutors are also considering charges, and will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon to address the matter.

 

[Dravur]

Wow, I know of maybe one place that has an overlook into Invesco Field and my guess is it will have enough feds on it to start it's own country.

If they were going to take the shot in the arena.... I wonder how they were going to get the equipment in?

"Uh... yeah, we are with the band... ya know"

 

[PercyShelley]

I smell security theater.

 

[Guns and more]

I saw yesterday where no charges were filed against these goofballs. I hope they are charged. Stolen guns and meth, prior felony charges, admit a plot in Denver.
Meanwhile, the guy who walked in to the hotel with hunting rifles in gun cases attempting to check in, was sitting in jail.
Am I the only one who sees this as odd?

 

[Officers'Wife]

Hi Acera,

Ok, just curious, how far do I have to stay from Denver to not be considered a threat? I was thinking of going to the range here in Houston Texas on Thursday with a legitimate long range target rifle (Rem PSS in .300 Win Mag.) and don't want to be arrested and have my face all over the news.

Truthfully I'm concern my Dad will use his 50 cal Barrett to kill a coyote on Indiana and be considered a suspect. It's a toss up who is more paranoid, Democrats or methheads.

Selena

 

[gezzer]

These dopes will make all white gun owners look bad IMHO