WILLIAMSPORT -- A man who stockpiled illegal guns and bombs and claimed to be the commander of the Pennsylvania Civilian Militia had blueprints for Penn State electrical systems, an FBI agent testified.

Ronald William Hertzog, 39, was ordered held without bail after a detention hearing Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge William H. Askey.

FBI Agent Ross H. Cooper said investigators were trying to determine why Hertzog had blueprints of electrical systems at Penn State, where he once worked as a bus driver and computer programmer.

When arrested in his minivan June 19, Hertzog also had a global positioning satellite device and a dozen topographical maps, Cooper said. One of the maps was of the Fort Indiantown Gap area, site of a National Guard training center, he said.

Hertzog had a .380-caliber pistol, for which he had a permit, on him and weapons including two other handguns and four rifles were found in the minivan, Cooper said.

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The FBI agent said two bombs were found at Hertzog's mobile home, one consisting of an
81 mm mortar shell, black powder and slugs, or mini balls, that would act as shrapnel, and the other containing buckshot and black powder. Devices that could be used to trigger bombs also were found, he said.[/red]

Also found in the home and a storage shed were a belt-fed machine gun, two guns modified to fire automatically, two .22-caliber rifles, a shotgun and handguns, Cooper said. Parts for weapons, kits to modify weapons to shoot automatically, items that could be used to make bombs, at least 5,000 rounds of ammunition and 12 pounds of black powder were also found, Cooper said.

Defense attorney Kyle Rude argued that Hertzog had the weapons only because he feared World War III was near and he wanted to protect his family.

Cooper said Hertzog had expressed concerns that the right to possess firearms was being eroded and that U.N. peacekeeping forces were going to take over the United States and impose martial law. He said that a way to respond would be to blow up communications towers.

[red]
The FBI agent said while it wasn't illegal to have a distaste for the federal government and express those views on the Internet, as Hertzog was alleged to have done, there was "no logical reason" for him to have machine guns, bombs and silencers.[/red]

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If the government said it, it must be true....

Scott

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A "Pro-gun" administration, eh?

It has been nothing but business as usual.

It is becoming a real life "Minority Report" society.

The Republic is lost.

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Innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law?

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You can make napalm with dish detergent and orange juice....


Scott

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geeeze... another assualt web member. I'll wait and see where this goes before passing judgement. I'm starting to think everyone on that site is a headcase.

mike

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Oh blah blah blah.
Of course we should always ASSume that this guy is being set up and didn't have anything illegal and had in no way brought this on himself by running his mouth about the illegal guns he had and how many federal agents he would kill...
Always assume that the government is wrong and the person being arrested is in the right, no matter how little we know about it...that's your philosophy, right?

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Missing an ingrediant to make true Incindergel

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Guys, you do know that every American gun owner is not necessarily a good guy, that there are some very bad Americans out there who have no qualms about hurting innocent people in the same manner as foreign terrorists.

Just maybe this guy deserved to get busted and the bust possibly averted a disaster.  So, get off your freaking soap boxes and let's see how this shakes out.

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There are some cops that fit your description LARRYG.