Rick Stanley Fails To Appear In Court On Gun Charges

The Associated Press, October 21, 2003

BRIGHTON, Colo. -- The 2002 Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate from Colorado has been arrested on charges he failed to appear in court and he threatened two judges in Adams County.

Rick Stanley, 49, ran unsuccessfully against Republican Sen. Wayne Allard last year, then later left the Libertarian Party of Colorado. He had been arrested in September 2002 for attending the Thornton Harvest Fest with a loaded revolver on his hip, which he has said he believes is his constitutional right, and was convicted on a misdemeanor gun charge.

But instead of appearing to be sentenced at a hearing scheduled last Wednesday, he had a document titled "Notice and Order' delivered to the municipal and state district judges handling his case, according to court records.

The document, posted on Stanley's Web site, "ordered" the judges to dismiss the charge and return to him ,500 in bond money, his "Smith and Wesson 6 shot .357 pistol and 6 each .357 bullets." The document also accused the judges of treason and included a statement he would have his "mutual defenses Pact Militia" order a warrant for their arrest.

Bob Grant, district attorney for Adams and Broomfield counties, viewed the notice as a threat against the judges. "Law enforcement takes these folks extremely seriously, takes their threats extremely seriously, and that's why this case was investigated and filed," he said.

Stanley was arrested over the weekend.

Stanley, facing two felony counts of attempting to influence a public servant, was being held under ,000 bail. However he was not eligible for release until he completes the 90-day sentence handed down in his absence last week, Grant said.

Landowner Lyle Barkley, 55, said he hasn't changed his mind to allow authorities to remove three house trailers from his Bay Township property.

"I would meet them with force of arms -- I haven't changed my mind on that at all," Barkley said.

A district judge ruled that the trailers weren't permitted under township zoning and ordered the Barkleys to remove the trailers by Sept. 18. The Barkleys also each face 26 days in jail for failure to pay fines by Sept. 18.

Barkley said he was interested in trying to resolve the matter peacefully. He said over the weekend he began to fill in trenches he had dug around his property in preparation for an armed confrontation, "to show good faith that I am trying to work with them."

RICK STANLEY, founder of the Denver-based Mutual Defense Pact - Second American Revolution Militia, continued this week to vow that hundreds of pact members would descend on the Barkley property and help defend the family with force if the Barkleys are "attacked" by government officials.

October 2

Please give us your next of kin. We aren't about to let a nutcase like you tell us what we can and can't do.

Last year, Stanley ran as a Libertarian Party candidate for the U.S. Senate. His main platform was support for the right to bear arms. He was arrested at least twice on weapons charges during his campaign and had his weapons confiscated.

The Libertarian Party censured Stanley, saying he had violated party principles in several ways. Stanley vowed to resign from the Libertarian Party after the election to start another party.

Saturday's arrest stemmed from a Thornton case.

On Sept. 2, 2002, he was arrested and charged with violating Thornton's dangerous weapons ordinance. "He was carrying a loaded .357 revolver openly on his hip at our Harvestfest, which is held at the Thornton Community Park," said Matt Barnes, spokesman for Thornton police.

Stanley was found guilty of the charge at trial by Thornton Judge Charles Rose, fined 0 and sentenced to 90 days, according to Barnes.