Militia Member Killed His Cat to Prove His Mettle

Hutaree defendants plead not guilty
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 31, 2010 5:19 PM CDT
Militia Member Killed His Cat to Prove His Mettle
From top left: David Brian Stone Sr., David Brian Stone Jr., Jacob Ward, Tina Mae Stone, Michael David Meeks, Kristopher T. Sickles, Joshua John Clough, and Thomas William Piatek.   (AP Photo/U.S. Marshall)

Eight of the nine Hutaree militia members accused of plotting against the government pleaded not guilty in a Detroit court today as prosecutors shed new details on the group. Among the nuggets: One of the nine, Kristopher Sickles, killed his cat to "see if he had it in him to kill something he cared about." The ninth member has yet to to be transferred to Michigan to join his comrades and did not enter a plea, reports ABC News.

Prosecutors also said that an undercover agent infiltrated the group by attending a "training day," where he saw a pipe bomb and an improvised explosive device, or IED. Agents moved in when they did because one member declared that the Hutaree was ready "to go to war" on a militia website and that the ATF wanted a "fire fight."
(More Hutaree militia stories.)

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