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No bail for border militia group leader on weapons charge
Source: Associated Press
No bail for border militia group leader on weapons charge
By MARY HUDETZ
April 29, 2019
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal magistrate judge ordered the leader of an armed group that detained asylum-seeking families near the U.S.-Mexico border to remain jailed Monday as he awaits trial on a federal firearms charge.
Larry Mitchell Hopkins pleaded not guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition during a detention hearing that was delayed earlier in morning because the federal courthouse in Albuquerque was abruptly evacuated. The U.S. Marshals Service said it could not provide information hours later on why the courthouse was cleared. It reopened shortly after noon.
Hopkins, 69, clad in a gray jumpsuit and shackled at the waist, wrists and ankles, inched across the courtroom as an officer helped him down a step and escorted him out of the courtroom where he had been waiting to appear before the judge.
A federal prosecutor argued after the courthouse reopened that Hopkins posed a flight risk and danger to the public if released. He cited Hopkins’ history of felony convictions dating back decades, use of aliases, and leadership role in the “heavily armed” United Constitutional Patriots group at the border.
“He was a commander of this militia group that was heavily armed and that further establishes he’s a danger to the community,” George Kraehe, the federal prosecutor, said.
-snip-
By MARY HUDETZ
April 29, 2019
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal magistrate judge ordered the leader of an armed group that detained asylum-seeking families near the U.S.-Mexico border to remain jailed Monday as he awaits trial on a federal firearms charge.
Larry Mitchell Hopkins pleaded not guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition during a detention hearing that was delayed earlier in morning because the federal courthouse in Albuquerque was abruptly evacuated. The U.S. Marshals Service said it could not provide information hours later on why the courthouse was cleared. It reopened shortly after noon.
Hopkins, 69, clad in a gray jumpsuit and shackled at the waist, wrists and ankles, inched across the courtroom as an officer helped him down a step and escorted him out of the courtroom where he had been waiting to appear before the judge.
A federal prosecutor argued after the courthouse reopened that Hopkins posed a flight risk and danger to the public if released. He cited Hopkins’ history of felony convictions dating back decades, use of aliases, and leadership role in the “heavily armed” United Constitutional Patriots group at the border.
“He was a commander of this militia group that was heavily armed and that further establishes he’s a danger to the community,” George Kraehe, the federal prosecutor, said.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/080ae90bb1774246a4634ab886691fd7
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
....most of the time it is a 2-3 year wait. 
