1. For your Extremist #FridayFlashback, I'd like to share a totally-forgotten incident from September 1999 involving a militia shootout in West Virginia--one of uncounted such episodes involving right-wing extremism over the past 25 years that got very little media attention.
2. A team of fed/state/law enforcement officers were looking for illicit marijuana grows in Lincoln County, West Virginia, when they ran into two brothers who were indeed growing pot out in the woods--but who were also anti-government extremists, part of the militia movement.
3. Investigating an illegal camp on gas company property, the officers ran into Bobby Wayne Hager riding an ATF. Hager tried to pull a gun on the officers but they restrained him--but not before he shouted a warning to his nearby brother. The brother, Everett Hager, opened fire
4. on the officers with a fully automatic SKS rifle, starting a shoot-out in the woods between the two sides. Luckily, no one was hurt and they were able to arrest Hager--possibly after he ran out of ammo. During the investigation, police recovered a lot of guns and ammo and
5. realized at least one of the Hagers was living in the camp, along with his son (who was not going to school). Authorities also learned the Hagers were organizers of a "revolutionary rights militia group" and had made statements about shooting law enforcement officers.
5. also learned of the Hagers' involvement with a local militia cell. They also discovered one of the Hagers had the previous year made threats against local officials, including threatening to bomb the county courthouse.
6. Everett Hager was charged with seven counts of attempted murder of a police officer ("That ought to hold me fora while," he said) and Bobby Wayne and Everett both charged with multiple counts of wanton endangerment. They also had drug and weapons charges levied against them.
7. In 2000, the brothers were found guilty on all counts. Everett received a 40-year sentence; Bobby Wayne a 10 year, 10 month sentence. During this whole saga, another incident occurred, when three of the Hager's miliita buddies--two men and one woman--assaulted a witness in the
8. case. They cut his phone line, broke into his house, tied him up and threatened and beat him. Everett Hager had ordered the attack from jail. In late 2000, they were each sentenced to three years and five months in prison. Like many incidents of right-wing extremist violence
9. in the US, this did not occur in or near a big city & got only local media attention. Most people never even knew it occurred. But over the nearly 20 years since then and now there have been many other similar incidents of right-wing extremist violence, most "under the radar."
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