California Man Caught With Explosives May Be 鈥楽overeign Citizen鈥�
A man who was found with more than 145 pounds of explosives in Brisbane, Calif., might have connections to the antigovernment 鈥渟overeign citizens鈥� movement, an extremist ideology whose adherents believe they don鈥檛 have to obey most laws or pay taxes.
Police said William Harrell, 46, completed a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filing in Kentucky that listed himself as a debtor to himself in 2010, a tactic used by some sovereigns in an attempt to free themselves of financial obligations. Yet investigators remain unsure whether Harrell is a true believer in the ideology, or rather someone who has merely dabbled in sovereign tactics.
鈥淭here is nothing independent of the UCC filing indicating he was part of any organization,鈥� Brisbane Police Cmdr. Bob Meisner told Hatewatch.
Police found the explosives earlier this month in the apartment Harrell shared with his girlfriend and her two children. Officers responded to a report of a domestic argument, and as Harrell began to leave, his girlfriend showed officers a locked closet, which she believed may have contained guns, the reported.
Inside, police found 145 pounds of explosives, mostly dynamite, a pound of marijuana and $37,000.
Harrell faces several felonies stemming from the discovery, including possessing explosives, selling marijuana and child endangerment. He pleaded not guilty on Oct. 4 and is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 5.
Harrell鈥檚 possible connections to the surfaced when J.J. MacNab, a tax and insurance expert who has studied the movement, contacted the Brisbane Police Department after finding Harrell鈥檚 UCC filing. Adherents to the strange subculture believe that they 鈥� not judges, juries, law enforcement or elected officials 鈥� get to decide which laws to obey and which to ignore. 鈥淪omething has happened to their lives that turned off a common sense switch,鈥� MacNab said. 鈥淭hey are not stupid or pathetic, na茂ve or poor.鈥�
Police say they don鈥檛 know how Harrell intended to use the explosives.
But what is certain is that sovereigns have been dangerous. The considers sovereigns to be a 鈥渄omestic terrorism movement.鈥� 聽They鈥檝e killed four law enforcement officers since May 20, 2010, when a father and son team of sovereigns in West Memphis, Ark.
Harrell鈥檚 girlfriend, who has not been identified in news reports, has said that Harrell had begun the process of becoming a sovereign citizen when police arrested him.
