cannabisnews.com: Authorities End Watch on Rainbow Farm










  Authorities End Watch on Rainbow Farm

Posted by FoM on September 07, 2001 at 09:23:28 PT
By Ashley Lowery and Christine Cox, Staff Writers 
Source: South Bend Tribune  

The land on which Grover T. "Tom" Crosslin and Rolland Rohm staged a standoff with police, and, ultimately, met their deaths, was in the possession of the men's families Thursday. Police and federal agents left the property around 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday after concluding their forensic investigation of the 34-acre Rainbow Farm. Crosslin, 46, was shot and killed by two FBI agents on Monday afternoon; 28-year-old Rohm was shot by Michigan State Police troopers the following morning.
Jeff Schifler of Auburn Hills, Mich., a close friend of Crosslin and Rohm, was standing guard at Rainbow Farm on Thursday afternoon.He said the Crosslin family wasn't yet prepared to allow the pair's supporters to wander unescorted onto the 59896 Pemberton Road property."It's a war zone out here," Schifler said, gesturing toward the burned- out buildings on the property.Schifler said a few people stopped by the farm with cameras, trying to make a pilgrimage to the site where the two men spent their final days.At the foot of a lawn jockey in front of the men's home were two red roses.Schifler tried to accommodate the trickle of well-wishers while monitoring their location.Most supporters of Crosslin, Rohm and the Rainbow Farm, however, remained camped out on the corner of Michigan 60 and White Temple Road just east of Vandalia and a couple of miles from the farm.Many continued to express anger and sadness Thursday afternoon.Crosslin's sister, Shirley DeWeese of Elkhart, was among the dozen or so people at the roadside Thursday."They murdered him," DeWeese said as she choked back tears.Signs indicated that supporters shared Deweese's take on the deaths of Crosslin and Rohm.One listed the Rainbow Farm standoff among other civilian deaths at the hands of federal agents, including the raid of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Tex., in 1993 and the deaths of Vicki and Sammy Weaver in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992.In spite of the anger the supporters feel toward federal and local government officials, DeWeese emphasized that the roadside supporters do not support violence."We want peace," she said. 'We want to see this settled legally. And God's going to give us our wishes, I know He is."One supporter who allegedly did not act peacefully was arrested Wednesday.The Cass County Sheriff's Department arrested one man on charges of disorderly conduct in the protester staging area, Sheriff Joseph Underwood Jr. said.Brian McCullough, 38, of Gilbertsville, Ky., later posted $100 bond and was released, his wife, Cher Ford-McCullough, said. The husband and wife had driven to the site earlier Wednesday to join the other Crosslin supporters, she said.No other arrests related to the Rainbow Farm standoff had been made, Underwood said.Just east of the camp site, Crosslin's historical home at the intersection of Michigan 60 and Calvin Center Road, a former Underground Railroad site, appeared vacated Thursday afternoon.Police executed a search warrant at the home on Tuesday, but would not say much about what they found there, state police Detective Lt. Michael Brown said Thursday. The three-hour raid was conducted by five state police members of the Southwest Enforcement Team (SWET).The team was looking for "things that would indicate prior planning" of the standoff, Brown said. The team turned over some of the evidence from the house to the FBI.The team did not seize any drugs from the property, although there were "indications of drugs" throughout the house.The house, like Rainbow Farm, has been turned over to the family, authorities said.Note: Property back in hands of family.Source: South Bend Tribune (IN)Author: Ashley Lowery and Christine Cox, Tribune Staff Writer Published: September 07, 2001Copyright: 2001 South Bend TribuneContact: vop sbtinfo.comWebsite: http://www.southbendtribune.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Rainbow Farm Campgroundhttp://www.rainbowfarmcamp.com/ Tom Crosslin & Rolland Rohm Memorial http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/rb.htmCrosslin's Dark Side Shownhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10845.shtmlRohm's Stepfather Forgiving, but Not Forgettinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10844.shtmlMixed Feelings on Rainbow Farm, Crosslinhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10843.shtml

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