Montana militia member charged with child-rape after Starbucks standoff | EUROtoday

An alleged Montana militia member was arrested after surrendering to authorities following an armed standoff at a Starbucks.

Timothy Allen Westervelt, 34, faces youngster intercourse abuse fees and is accused of being an energetic member of the Yellowstone Militia, a bunch with members throughout the state.

Authorities in Yellowstone County had issued a $250,000 warrant for his seize on 4 felony crimes: youngster intercourse abuse, youngster rape and possession of kid intercourse abuse materials, in response to the Billings Gazette.

The possible trigger paperwork outlining the case are presently beneath seal, as is customary in these involving minors. A day after the warrant was issued on January 27, Westervelt allegedly determined to evade arrest by hiding in a Starbucks for about an hour, forcing workers and clients to flee the realm for security.

Yellowstone County legislation enforcement personnel and officers from the Livingston Police Department responded to the espresso store and finally took Westervelt into custody. He was booked into Yellowstone County Detention Facility and his first court docket look was on Friday.

The man had allegedly been a part of a militia in and across the Billings space for greater than 4 years. He’d tried to garner help for the group as lately as October, social media posts present, in response to the outlet.

The group’s web site states it’s not anti-government or legislation enforcement and says it welcomes all “law-abiding men and women,” the newspaper reported.

During the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, shortly after the demise of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died by the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, armed militia members had been seen close to the Yellowstone County Courthouse as demonstrators referred to as for renewed police accountability.

Later, as a Juneteenth celebration passed off round a county park, militia members circled the realm.

Westervelt faces as much as 100 years in jail on every of the kid intercourse abuse fees.