Michigan standoff ends with second man killed
http://www.nandotimes.com/nation/story/72883p-1029170c.html
The Associated Press
VANDALIA, Mich. (September 4, 2001 10:53 a.m. EDT) - A
campground standoff ended
in its fifth day Tuesday when a second man was fatally
shot by police after he
allegedly pointed a weapon at an officer.
Rolland Rohm, 28, was shot about 6:30 a.m., the day
after his roommate was fatally
shot by an FBI agent, Cass County Sheriff Joseph
Underwood Jr. said.
Rohm had been ordered several times to put his weapon
down, Underwood said. He
said Rohm pointed the gun at a Michigan State Police
officer and was shot. It wasn't
clear which officer shot Rohm.
On Monday, Grover T. Crosslin, whose campground was
known for its advocacy of
marijuana use, was shot after he left a building on
the property and pointed a rifle at
the agent, Underwood said.
Crosslin, 47, had been facing felony drug and weapons
charges when the standoff
began Friday, authorities said.
Early Tuesday, Rohm had said he would surrender at 7
a.m. if his son were brought to
see him, Underwood said. The sheriff said police were
in the process of granting the
request when shortly after 6 a.m., a fire was reported
at the compound.
Rohm was then seen leaving the residence with a long
gun and walking into the yard,
Underwood said. That's when the confrontation with
police took place.
The standoff began when deputies went to the farm
after neighbors said Crosslin was
burning buildings on his property, which is the target
of civil forfeiture proceedings. A
house and four main buildings on the campground
property, called Rainbow Farm,
appeared to have been burned since then, Underwood
said.
Crosslin reportedly warned neighbors that day to leave
the area because "all hell was
going to break loose."
Deputies said they believe Crosslin was upset about a
bond revocation hearing
scheduled for Friday. It was set because police
believed he had held a festival on the
campground, in violation of the terms of his release
on previous drug and weapons
charges.
Crosslin had been arrested in May over allegations of
marijuana use at his 34-acre
campground and charged with felony possession of a
firearm, growing marijuana and
maintaining a drug house.
Crosslin became agitated Monday after authorities
brought a phone to him in an
attempt to begin negotiations, Underwood said. When
authorities denied Crosslin's
request to speak with a third party, he began making
threatening remarks and
gestures, the sheriff said. That's when he left the
residence and was shot.
A judge had signed a warrant earlier Monday charging
Crosslin with attempted
destruction of an aircraft and using a firearm in a
felony, the FBI said.
Authorities alleged Crosslin shot a news helicopter
from WNDU-TV in nearby South
Bend, Ind., as it flew overhead Friday. Shots also
were fired at an unmarked state
police plane Saturday but missed, police said. Both
aircraft landed safely without
injuries.
According to the Rainbow Farm's Web site, Crosslin
bought the property about 15
years ago with the idea of supporting "the medical,
spiritual and responsible
recreational uses of marijuana for a more sane and
compassionate America."
Crosslin had previously worked as a truck driver and a
flag pole installer.
Crosslin's attorney, Dori Leo, said her client was
upset because a child he helped
raise has been taken from the home he shared with
Rohm. The boy was placed in
foster care soon after Crosslin and Rohm were charged
with the drug counts, Leo told
the South Bend Tribune.
Vandalia Mayor Sondra Mose-Ursery said she knew
Crosslin well and wasn't surprised
by his confrontation with authorities.
"I figured it was going to happen, by the way he had
talked about not wanting to go
to jail for (doing) something he believed in," she
told the Tribune. "He believes he
should be able to do what he wants on his own
property."
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