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| Vandalia Campground Owner Continues Standoff |
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Posted by FoM on September 02, 2001 at 11:18:51 PT By The Associated Press Source: Herald-Palladium 
A standoff between police and a Southwest Michigan campground owner facing drug and weapons charges continued Saturday, authorities said. Cass County Sheriff's Deparment deputies went to Rainbow Farm -- which is described on its Web site as an "alternative campground & concert arena" -- about noon Friday after neighbors said the owner, Grover Thomas Crosslin, 47, was burning buildings on the property. The 34-acre farm is at 59896 Pemberton Road, just north of Black Street in Newberg Township about three miles east of Vandalia. The community is on the eastern side of Cass County. Deputies evacuated six nearby houses and watched from a distance as three buildings burned, Sheriff Joseph Underwood said. About 20 shots were fired from within the campground, he said. A news helicopter from television station WNDU in South Bend, Ind., was struck by a bullet Friday as it flew over the propety, but it landed safely and there were no injuries, the station reported. The pilot and a cameraman were unaware a bullet had pierced the helicopter's horizontal stabilizer but left the area after police radioed a warning, WNDU news director Ellen Crooke said. "They flew back to South Bend to refuel, and when they did so, the pilot looked at the ship and realized it had been hit," she said. Authorities arrested Crosslin and five others on drug charges in May after a two-year investigation into allegations of marijuana use at the 34-acre campground, Underwood said. Crosslin was charged with possession of a firearm, growing marijuana and maintaining a drug house. On Friday, he was facing a $150,000 bond revocation hearing because authorities believed he was violating the terms of his release. Crosslin's property is also the target of civil forfeiture proceedings. "I assume he's upset about the court hearing," Underwood said Friday. The May arrests were made just before Hempfest 2001, a Memorial Day weekend event at the campground. A statement on Rainbow Farm's Web site says it "supports the medical, spiritual and responsible recreational uses of marijuana for a more sane and compassionate America." The FBI will try to determine whether Crosslin or someone else inside Rainbow Farm shot at the helicopter, Special Agent Dawn Clenney said Saturday. "If he shot at an aircraft, that's a federal violation," she said. Crosslin's sister, Shirley DeWeese, of Elkhart, Ind., said her brother wants to be left alone. "I can't talk to him ... he was very angry with the government and the way they have done things," DeWeese told a South Bend newspaper. "I just hope he remains cool and calm. He doesn't want all the violence." A message posted Thursday on Rainbow Farm's Web site said the campground's Labor Day Weekend Camp-Out was called off. "Bad government has intervened, once again, and closed Rainbow Farm Campground," the message read. On May 2, Cass County Circuit Court Judge Michael E. Dodge granted a preliminary injunction closing the campground until May 29, stopping Hempfest 2001. A probe into the campground allegedly showed use, delivery and possession of drugs, such as suspected marijuana, cocaine, Methamphetamine, LSD and prescription drugs at festivals there. The events were attended by out-of-state visitors and many teen-agers, authorities said. Note: H-P Correspondent Norma Lerner contributed to this report. Complete Title: Vandalia Campground Owner Continues Standoff With Police Source: Herald-Palladium, The (MI) News article courtesy of Mapinc. Related Articles & Web Site: Rainbow Farms Campground Standoff Continues at Campground Standoff Near Vandalia News Copter Hit by Bullets in Standoff Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 02, 2001 at 15:31:10 PT |
| That means a lot to me. I just love the people who comment here. They make me think and smile and not get upset. I feel very fortunate. And thank you Mr. greengenes for all theinformation and energy you have brought us about this delicate issue. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by The GCW on September 02, 2001 at 15:04:17 PT |
| anyone adding the most relevent info here...I have no other means of getting this news, up to the minute, so to speak. I follow MAP, but it will only be published material, with no platform like this. And by the way: This has been a realy clean place to discuss this issue... free of all hostility of any kind. Great place. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by tdm on September 02, 2001 at 13:53:39 PT |
| i am so glad to see you join the discussion here at CN. you've posted several times in the last few days, each time with fresh insight. no different in this case. pointing out glaring hypocrisy is a powerful weapon against incessant propaganda. i hope you're here to stay. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by mr.greengenes on September 02, 2001 at 13:22:35 PT |
| "A probe into the campground allegedly showed use, delivery and possession of drugs, such as suspected marijuana, cocaine, Methamphetamine, LSD and prescription drugs at festivals there. The events were attended by out-of-state visitors and many teen-agers, authorities said." I've seen all these things and more at the Indy 500,and other large events, but to the best of my recollection, I've never heard of a judge issuing an injunction to shut down the race. [ Post Comment ] |
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