Arrests Hot Topic On Radio, Internet

The jailing of seven men tied to the Militia of Montana is the newest hot button for talk radio and is being discussed across the nation on computer bulletin boards.

Bob Fletcher, a spokesman for the Militia of Montana, has appeared a couple of times on a Spokane radio talk show.

On Tuesday, the host of that show, Todd Herman, discussed a militia report about the arrests on the air and criticized Montana authorities for their handling of the affair.

The militia also posted its version of the arrests on the Internet computer network.

The note, purported to have been written by militia co-founder Randy Trochmann, John Trochmann’s nephew, asks supporters to call the Musselshell Sheriff’s Department to complain about the arrests.

At militia headquarters in Noxon, Randy Trochmann said Tuesday the allegations leveled by the Musselshell County sheriff and attorney were “scurrilous lies.”

“They’re trying to cover their butts,” he said. “We can see right through it, and so can our attorney.”

“They screwed up badly and they know it,” he said.

Randy Trochmann said his organization has received thousands of telephone calls of support and one individual, who he wouldn’t identify, has offered to post John Trochmann’s $100,000 bond.

“There are donations flowing in from all over the country,” he said. The group has retained former U.S. Sen. John DeCamp, who is now a Lincoln, Neb., attorney, to defend John Trochmann.

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