[catarleriarly]

By Roxana Hegeman - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 2, 2010 21:50:46 EST
WICHITA, Kan. — "A wounded veteran was charged Thursday with targeting members of a fundamentalist church infamous for protesting at soldiers' funerals."
"Ryan Newell of Marion faces five misdemeanor counts after he allegedly followed members of the Westboro Baptist Church after a protest at a Mulvane school. The 26-year-old veteran allegedly was armed with an M4 rifle, a .45-caliber Glock pistol and a .38 Smith and Wesson pistol when he was arrested Tuesday in the Wichita City Hall parking garage."

"He is being held on a $500,000 bond."
"Newell, who lost both his legs in a roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan, was formally charged with intentional conduct causing fear to a person or family, falsely representing himself to be a law enforcement officer, and three counts of unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon."

Full article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/20...esters-120210/

I don't condone this guy's actions but it sure is sad it happened.

I can't imagine what his final act was to be but this guy sure needs help, bad.

What kind of life will he have if he ends up in the slammer as a double amputee and all?

I hope he gets a good lawyer...

[tefraxKedWere]

By Roxana Hegeman - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 2, 2010 21:50:46 EST
WICHITA, Kan. — "A wounded veteran was charged Thursday with targeting members of a fundamentalist church infamous for protesting at soldiers' funerals."
"Ryan Newell of Marion faces five misdemeanor counts after he allegedly followed members of the Westboro Baptist Church after a protest at a Mulvane school. The 26-year-old veteran allegedly was armed with an M4 rifle, a .45-caliber Glock pistol and a .38 Smith and Wesson pistol when he was arrested Tuesday in the Wichita City Hall parking garage."

"He is being held on a $500,000 bond."
"Newell, who lost both his legs in a roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan, was formally charged with intentional conduct causing fear to a person or family, falsely representing himself to be a law enforcement officer, and three counts of unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon."

Full article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/20...esters-120210/

I don't condone this guy's actions but it sure is sad it happened.

I can't imagine what his final act was to be but this guy sure needs help, bad.

What kind of life will he have if he ends up in the slammer as a double amputee and all?

I hope he gets a good lawyer...

I don't know how good of a lawyer he'll need. I'm thinking he could've apprehended in the act of gunning one of them down and you'd still get half a jury to say "Hell with it...NOT guilty"


I did find this little aspect of the article kind of comical:

On Tuesday, Sedgwick County Sheriff Robert Hinshaw said one of his detectives observed a vehicle driven by Newell that appeared to be following members of the church and stopped it. Newell initially told the officer he was providing security for church members and he was allowed to go. Shortly after, the detective stopped the van carrying the Westboro members and learned they did not know Newell.

The detective stopped Newell again and then released him after he told the detective he was a reserve law enforcement officer in Marion County. After returning to the courthouse, the detective found that Newell had a revoked driver's license and was not a law enforcement officer, Hinshaw said. The detective went to the city hall where the Westboro group was meeting with city police and checked the city garage. He found Newell's vehicle backed into one of the stalls and arrested him.
Who the hell was this detective?

Stopped the guy one time, he say "uhm...I'm a private securuity for the church...yeah, that's it...I'm private security"

So...he lets him go...no verification, follow-up, etc.

Stops him a SECOND time and he say "soooo...uh...I'm a reserve police officer...yeah, that's the ticket...a reserve cop!"

Let's him go....only to find out LATER that he wasn't a cop, had a revoked license, etc. and had to go find him a THIRD time.

Like...he didn't run the license on the first stop? Verify any info...just like..."oh, okay, as long as your carnival personnel..."

[Veronnisa]

I don't know how good of a lawyer he'll need. I'm thinking he could've apprehended in the act of gunning one of them down and you'd still get half a jury to say "Hell with it...NOT guilty"


I did find this little aspect of the article kind of comical:




Who the hell was this detective?

Stopped the guy one time, he say "uhm...I'm a private securuity for the church...yeah, that's it...I'm private security"

So...he lets him go...no verification, follow-up, etc.

Stops him a SECOND time and he say "soooo...uh...I'm a reserve police officer...yeah, that's the ticket...a reserve cop!"

Let's him go....only to find out LATER that he wasn't a cop, had a revoked license, etc. and had to go find him a THIRD time.

Like...he didn't run the license on the first stop? Verify any info...just like..."oh, okay, as long as your carnival personnel..."

Was his last name Clouseau?

[Creva4k]

I don't know how good of a lawyer he'll need. I'm thinking he could've apprehended in the act of gunning one of them down and you'd still get half a jury to say "Hell with it...NOT guilty"

I want to be on that jury.

[nAKMzyBN]

I want to be on that jury.

Me too. I think if he got up from the witness stand and stabbed Phelps in the throat, during a televised trial, sat back down covered in blood...I'd still say "uhm....Not guilty"

[Sheefeadalfuh]

I want to write a witty commentary but I am too busy busting a gut laughing.

[infinkPoode]

Maybe with luck the Court Clerk will go outside and select 12 homeless vets to sit on the jury.

[Theariwinna]

The only mistake made in this particular case was pulling him over a second time. The next time Westboro trolls are followed by a vehicle full of weapons, let it go.

[Everwondopedo]

Are there twelve citizens in the country who would vote to convict? Oh well, I forgot about members of the ACLU.

[Petwrenny]

By Roxana Hegeman - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 2, 2010 21:50:46 EST
WICHITA, Kan. — "A wounded veteran was charged Thursday with targeting members of a fundamentalist church infamous for protesting at soldiers' funerals."
"Ryan Newell of Marion faces five misdemeanor counts after he allegedly followed members of the Westboro Baptist Church after a protest at a Mulvane school. The 26-year-old veteran allegedly was armed with an M4 rifle, a .45-caliber Glock pistol and a .38 Smith and Wesson pistol when he was arrested Tuesday in the Wichita City Hall parking garage."

"He is being held on a $500,000 bond."
"Newell, who lost both his legs in a roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan, was formally charged with intentional conduct causing fear to a person or family, falsely representing himself to be a law enforcement officer, and three counts of unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon."

Full article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/20...esters-120210/

I don't condone this guy's actions but it sure is sad it happened.

I can't imagine what his final act was to be but this guy sure needs help, bad.

What kind of life will he have if he ends up in the slammer as a double amputee and all?

I hope he gets a good lawyer...

Considering how private funerals really are, I would have found the car, and dump a five pound bag of sugar in the gas tank. By the time they realize what had happened, and got their vehicle all cleaned out and running again, I'd be long gone, and maybe they would stop and think of how many people they've pissed off with their stunts.

[JEWELMARGY]

People all over the country are thinking about ways to rough up the Westboro punks. On one of their recent protests at a funeral (I can't remember where) they got the required permit to protest across the street from the funeral but when they showed up they found that a bunch of local townspeople had arrived earlier and taken the spot. They wouldn't let the Westboro jerks have it back. As backup, a bunch of Patriot Guards on motorcycles were nearby revving their Harley engines to drown them out. It was a beutifully executed tactic to prevent the protest. The Westboros packed it up and left. I saw it on some TV news program and even the newscasters were kinda laughing about it. The Westboro Baptist Church is becoming grist for the joke mill!

[newpiknicker]

So can we mail feces to the Westboro Baptist Church as a form of protest? I happen to live right next to a neighbor who owns two horses.....

[67Irralphaisa]

So can we mail feces to the Westboro Baptist Church as a form of protest? I happen to live right next to a neighbor who owns two horses.....

The idea has merit! Merry Christmas, WBC!

[Qzmsdoem]

I would have found the car, and dump a five pound bag of sugar in the gas tank.

Someone was already ahead of you bossman. In Nov 2010 this group went to a funeral and were protesting...while there someone slashed their tires. The WBC called tow trucking businesses in the area and every single one of them refused to help. I say let them all burn By the way...their is a website...http://www.usawtfm.com/2010/12/ryan-...bail-fund.html . On that website they are collecting a fund to bond this hero out of jail.

[Lorionasodi]

Progress update on the Ryan Newell situation: http://www.usawtfm.com/2010/12/ryan-newell-update.html

"The weapons charges accuse him of unlawfully carrying and concealing or possessing with "intent to use" an M4 rifle, .45-caliber Glock handgun and .38-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun."

"I just can't imagine him wanting to hurt anybody," his grandmother, Bonnie Crosby, said.
Agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives went to Newell's home, and his wife turned over items — including firearms — to law enforcement, said a source close to the investigation."

"Newell, who appeared in the courtroom through a video connection with the Sedgwick County Jail, was seated in a wheelchair and was wearing an orange jail jumpsuit. He was ordered to have no contact with members of the Westboro Baptist Church or the Phelps family."

"Two lawyers appeared in court offering to represent Newell, who grew up in Goddard. He told Judge Ben Burgess that he had also received offers from a number of other lawyers."

"Burgess quipped, "The more the merrier, I suppose."

"Newell remains in jail on $500,000 bond."

This is so lame...Bond is to ensure you remain available for court action....and that you won't skip out ... what possibility is there that Newell will leave a wife and 4 children and run? I would think $500K is excessive bail!

However, there is a possibility that this could have applied: "While the Eighth Amendment prohibits excessive bail, it does not forbid detaining someone without bail if it serves the purpose of protecting someone else's safety.
Expert testimony and risk assessment in stalking cases: the FBI's ... by Wattendorf, George / The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin

So, maybe he has been given a break.

[FailiaFelay]

The idea has merit! Merry Christmas, WBC!

[arerrurrY]

"Vet in Westboro Stalking Case Released"

December 08, 2010
Wichita Eagle, Kan.


"After spending a week in the Sedgwick County Jail, charged with stalking and conspiring to harm members of a controversial Topeka church, Ryan Newell was released Tuesday."

"Newell, an Army veteran who lost both legs while serving in Afghanistan, was released from jail shortly after 2 p.m., Sedgwick County Sheriff Robert Hinshaw said, with the stipulation that he report to the VA Hospital for treatment. His attorney picked him up at the jail, Hinshaw said."

"Although Newell will still have to report back to court and face the charges, he was overjoyed at leaving the jail, his defense lawyer, Boyd McPherson, said Tuesday night."

"It was very emotional for him," McPherson said."

"He wasn't aware that it was going to happen, and it happened very quickly, and it is probably still soaking in."

"As far as he knows, McPherson said, Newell had never been held in jail before. "To my knowledge, he has no criminal history whatsoever," McPherson said.
People across the nation are "happy for Ryan that he's released," he said."

"A protective order prohibiting Newell from having contact with Westboro Baptist Church members remains in effect."

Full article: http://www.kansas.com/2010/12/08/162...rdered-to.html

Other Vets reach out: http://www.kansas.com/2010/12/05/161...s-support.html

[ChyFDjfed]

Maybe with luck the Court Clerk will go outside and select 12 homeless vets to sit on the jury.

That would be poetic justice.. but i do still think this vet needs to get punished for
A) impersonating an officer
B) lying to cops
C) driving without license

Considering how private funerals really are, I would have found the car, and dump a five pound bag of sugar in the gas tank. By the time they realize what had happened, and got their vehicle all cleaned out and running again, I'd be long gone, and maybe they would stop and think of how many people they've pissed off with their stunts. Why waste sugar.. Use a pingpong ball.

Someone was already ahead of you bossman. In Nov 2010 this group went to a funeral and were protesting...while there someone slashed their tires. I'll drink a beer to that guy tonight.

To my knowledge, he has no criminal history whatsoever," McPherson said. Then how is he without license?

[oneliRafmeene]

yep, i'll drink a few internet beers to the disabled vet, and the guy who slashed the tires.

actually, i'll tip a glas to anyone who annoys those westboro fools.

[Chubrehege]

Not sure if this is appropriate here or not, but the latest word is that the Westboro fools are planning on picketing Elizabeth Edwards' funeral this weekend.

Obviously, they're brainwashed and not thinking rationally, but it all makes ya wonder what they believe God thinks of their own deaths.