Militia Leader Wants Seagal’s Show To Go On

Sun., Sept. 28, 1997

Associated Press

Militia of Montana leader John Trochmann says he would be willing to work with law enforcement officials to find the person or persons who, claiming to be militia members, threatened to sabotage Steven Seagal’s latest movie.

“We’d assist authorities in having this dealt with,” Trochmann said in a phone interview from Noxon.

In the past couple of weeks, the film’s staff has called the FBI and other law officials to say they’d received mostly anonymous threats from callers who said they were militia members.

Trochmann met Wednesday night with staff members of Seagal’s movie, “The Patriot,” which is being filmed in the Ennis area.

Part of the reason for his trip was to assure the film staff that Militia of Montana members have no intention of impeding the movie’s filming.

Trochmann said he would try to find out more about the people who left names along with threatening messages on answering machines.

Trochmann said he also wanted to make sure the script didn’t portray militia members as a bunch of crazies.

In the movie, a government laboratory worker steals a deadly toxin, which somehow falls into the hands of a militia group. The toxin kills some members of the militia and townspeople, too. Seagal, who portrays a doctor-rancher in the movie, becomes the town hero.

After talking with the staff, Trochmann said he believes the script won’t portray all militia members in a negative way.

Filming of “The Patriot” is expected to continue for the next seven weeks on Seagal’s Sun Ranch outside of Ennis.

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