Defiant Militia Member Held In Contempt Of Court

Thu., May 4, 1995

Associated Press

A local member of the Militia of Montana is in jail for refusing to answer a judge’s routine procedural questions.

Steve L. McNeil, 46, was charged Tuesday afternoon with five counts of contempt of court for refusing to tell Belgrade City Judge G.L. Smith if he understood his rights and the charges, including displaying homemade license plates on his truck.

McNeil, 46, said he didn’t want it to happen. “I wasn’t trying to be smart with the judge,” McNeil said at the county jail. “If you try to stand up for your rights, he goes on the attack.”

He was in court on five traffic citations.

After being issued the first two citations, he was told to pull his truck over and not drive any more. Instead, he drove away and was promptly pulled over again.

“I put him under court order to answer the questions but he started saying ‘You don’t have jurisdiction…,”’ Smith said.

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