IN CUSTODY OF U.S. MARSHALS, BUT FOR HOW LONG?
by Sharon Rondeau
(Oct. 23, 2011) — The Post & Email has heard from two readers who have been in touch with the U.S. Marshals’ Service in Knoxville, TN regarding the whereabouts of Walter Francis Fitzpatrick, III, who was arrested and jailed in Monroe County, TN after a sentencing hearing one month ago.
An email dated October 21, 2011 reads:
Just spoke with Deputy Maze’s supervisor Ron Gibb. Expressed concern for Walt’s safety in Monroe County and asked them to interview Walt about Monroe County so someone with authority can intervene on his behalf. Asked him to please try to get FBI involved that TBI is complicit and thus far FBI has not intervened. He said “Mr. Fitzpatrick is safe with us” I believe that to be true, he is safe with US Marshals. Essentially in protective custody from the sounds of it. The fact they are going to release him back to Monroe County after the Huff trial is the concern. Hopefully Ron Gibb will actually attempt to involve FBI. It is my understanding Walt has been in their custody for the past 5 days. Trial has been going on for 4 days, US court trial in Knoxville? They keep referring me to the US court clerk in Knoxville for more information on the Huff trial. Habeas Corpus Writ To Testify.
The same individual added:
Okay after numerous calls I finally spoke with a supervisor by the name of Deputy Mace with US Marshals in Knoxville TN. He was very kind. They have LCDR in custody there in Knoxville. They are holding him for testimony in a federal case against Huff. LCDR is on a Habeas Corpus writ to hold to testify. Once the trial is over, he will be released back to the custody of Monroe County jail. Freedom of information act allows us to get information from the US court clerk in Knoxville TN. He is safer with US Marshals than he would be in Monroe County. Deputy Mace could not answer any legal questions, however he did say FBI is the agency we should contact to intervene with Monroe County. Would be nice to get Walter into protective custody rather than have him back in the hands of Monroe County if they continue to refuse to release LCDR.
The trial to which the writer refers is that of Darren Huff, who went to attend an arraignment hearing on April 20, 2010 for Fitzpatrick and was arrested ten days later for a “crime” which Huff says he had no intent of committing. Huff’s trial formally ended on Friday, October 21 and has been handed to the jury to issue a verdict on whether or not Huff had intended to forcibly “take over the courthouse.”
Another reader sent the following on October 20:
Good evening. Early this afternoon I called the US Marshals Eastern Dist. of TN.
I left a message for Deputy Warren Mayes the Operations Supervisor.
Deputy Mayes returned my call and I asked to see if they had Walter Fitzpatrick in their custody?
Deputy Mayes said Walt was in their custody at one of their facilities, but would not say which one. He said this was information only Walt’s attorney could get.
Deputy Mayes said Walt was in their custody because of being a witness in the trial, spoken about on your site.
After that Walt will be returned to where they got him from; I guess Monroe County?
On another note. I spoke to Amnesty Int’l. again. They did email me the document to fill out and to return it to them(her).
The woman I spoke to was:
Jasmine Heiss of the:
Mid-Atlantic Office
600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
5th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20003
phone: (202) 544-0200
fax: (202) 546-7142
aiusama@aiusa.org
Fitzpatrick has been kept in solitary confinement by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department without access to a telephone, according to first-hand accounts from those who have visited him there.
Update, October 25, 2011: The Post & Email has been informed that Fitzpatrick has been returned to the Monroe County jail.
Tonto, thank you for checking on Walt today. We are happy to hear he will soon be out of jail. When you called today, it was like a blast from the past….didn’t we just have this conversation a year ago when Walt was in jail at that time?! After our trip to Walt’s hearing in April of 2010 and witnessing firsthand the intimidation tactics aimed at honest, decent citizens, it is disheartening to read about Darren Huff. People who weren’t there are saying that those of us who came to town were armed with guns. You and I know that is a lie, as do the others who were there that day. Hurtful rumors such as these serve no purpose and are merely a distraction from the bigger picture, which is the injustices Walt and Darren have been served. Are we truly free in America? After all that Walt has endured over the last 2 1/2 years, I would say we most assuredly are not.
By the way, Walt says he’s due to be released on Dec 2….time off for good behavior. Still in cell 9 and not in cell 10 (which is “the hole”). No showers, no phone and basically isolated with George (the guy that just got 5 years for convictions on numerous driving violations).
Talked to Walt today at the Monroe County Jail. I told him what I knew about the Huff trial and conviction for Interstate carry…and we discussed for a bit about how that sounded pretty impossible. We both agree that basically, Sheriff Bivens and the Monroe County corruption do what they want and get away with it. At that point I had no idea what an idiot Huff had acted like, but since I have been reading various articles about what came out at the trial, I have concluded that Huff acted like a complete buffoon in several places and got himself in more trouble than he ever imagined he could by just running his mouth. Those of us that were there knew there was no plan or plot to take over anything or make “arrests”. I have no idea what may have possessed Huff to have brought guns there….nobody but the cops had them. Seems to me that Huff caused all the excitement by himself with no help, support or even knowledge of any of us others that were there. The two other people I was with there made dang sure we didn’t even have so much as a paper clip or anything that remotely resembled a weapon. So, as it turns out, Walt’s message was lost and the effort was concentrated on countering an imaginary threat emanating for the acts and words of Huff. Evidently, the FBI was at his house questioning him on the 19th on a tip from some bank tellers that Huff was talking wildly about taking over this and arresting that…and either they grossly misunderstood, or Huff actually embellished his story so he looked like a big hero or something…..at least in his mind. Maybe that’s what got Huff kicked out of the Oathkeepers, as I’ve heard.
Actually, Huff and nobody else, really did anything to get arrested for. The stop they made on him was BS and simply on opportunity for them to get him to talk himself into trouble. He had permits for the guns, but they got enough on him by him talking stupid to get a conviction on him by the other stupid stuff he’d said to others….therefore “conspiracy” and all the rest of the crazy stuff. I can’t believe the man is such a moron. Amazing. Put your comments here….or e-mail them and I’ll carry them to Walt on Saturday.
Thank you so much for this latest information!! I am hoping and praying Walter will soon be released and justice will prevail.
God Bless
Monroe County verified this weekend that they have Fitz back, and in the psychiatric Cell 9 where he has been for a month. The have told Walt that he is in isolation for his own protection. However the real reason is two fold; he is there for retaliation and to prevent him from interacting with the other inmates. When Walt was in there last winter he came out with several pages of notes in small print on conditions and mis-trials there.
But here is more corruption. A citizen’s writ for habeas corpus was filed on October 6th with a last date due of October 11th (day after hoilday). The U. S. Marshall’s writ was dated the next week. Why was the citizen’s writ not honored? How was the Marshall’s writ processed so quickly, based on the TN policy of processing writs thru their A.G.? Did the Marshall’s actually process a writ or just snatch Walt? Why did the Marshall’s play keep away while they had Walt in custody? Huff’s attorney, who had subpoenaed Walt was not even given accurate information as to Walt’s whereabouts.
“The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, . . .” is the very corner stone of the American jurisprudence system. Without it we are a third world country governed by tyranny. Has the habeas corpus process been suspended because there are ” . . . Cases of Rebellion or Invasion . . .” as determined by congress?