Desert Messenger

January 19, 2022 www.DesertMessenger.com 25 Keep Quartzsite Clean and Beautiful As snowbirds return home to their favorite winter nests, the Desert Messenger wishes to remind everyone not to put their trimmings/ brush in the washes. Please dispose responsibly, anytime, at the Town's chipper yard, near the transfer station on Hwy. 95, 1/2 + mile north of the Firestation. THE TRANSFER STATION IS OPEN SUN. - WED. 7:30AM-2:30PM. Also please remember coyotes are wild animals... please don't feed the wildlife! Licensed & Insured BLM Approved! 27 Years Experience 27 Years Experience Miller RV Repair Miller RV Repair is BACK IN QUARTZSITE! 406-212-0155 Washington, DC - A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia re- turned an indictment January 12th, which was unsealed January 13th, charging 11 defendants with sedi- tious conspiracy and other charges for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the elec- toral votes related to the presiden- tial election. According to court documents, Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, 56, of Granbury, Texas, who is the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers; and Edward Valle- jo, 63, of Phoenix, Arizona, are being charged for the fi rst time in connection with events leading up to and includ- ing Jan. 6. On January 13th, Rhodes was arrested in Little Elm, Texas, and Vallejo was arrested in Phoenix. The seditious conspiracy indict- ment alleges that, following the November 3, 2020, presidential election, Rhodes conspired with his co-defendants and others to oppose by force the execution of the laws governing the transfer of presiden- tial power by January 20, 2021. Beginning in late December 2020, via encrypted and private commu- nications applications, Rhodes and various co-conspirators coordinated and planned to travel to Washing- ton, D.C., on or around Jan. 6, 2021, the date of the certifi cation of the electoral college vote, the indict- ment alleges. Rhodes and several co-conspirators made plans to bring weapons to the area to support the Stewart Rhodes ties to Quartzsite operation. The co-conspirators then traveled across the country to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in early January 2021. According to the seditious conspir- acy indictment, the defendants con- spired through a variety of manners and means, including: organizing into teams that were prepared and willing to use force and to trans- port fi rearms and ammunition into Washington, D.C.; recruiting mem- bers and affi liates to participate in the conspiracy; organizing trainings to teach and learn paramilitary com- bat tactics; bringing and contribut- ing paramilitary gear, weapons, and supplies – including knives, batons, camoufl aged combat uniforms, tac- tical vests with plates, helmets, eye protection, and radio equipment – to the Capitol grounds; breaching and attempting to take control of the Capitol grounds and building on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to prevent, hinder and delay the certifi cation of the electoral college vote; using force against law enforcement offi - cers while inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; continuing to plot, after Jan. 6, 2021, to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential pow- er, and using websites, social media, text messaging and encrypted mes- saging applications to communicate with co-conspirators and others. Rhodes has ties to Quartzsite, Ari- zona, dating back to 2011 when he represented Quartzsite residents Mi- chael Roth, Jennifer "Jade" Jones and then-Mayor Ed Foster in lawsuits against the Town of Quartzsite and its ����� | 2011 D����� M�������� N��� A������� police department. A simmering dis- pute between the mayor and its police chief had boiled over in June 2011. Several people - including a gem and mineral dealer named Mike Roth and a pet groomer named Jennifer "Jade" Jones-Esposito - accused some town offi cials of violating their constitu- tional rights by trying to prevent them from speaking at town council meetings. When Jones refused to sur- render the mic, she were removed by police and the video went viral. On August 27, 2011 the Oath Keep- ers held the Quartzsite Freedom Festival stating online that they were going to "occupy Quartzsite." At 10am in 112 degree heat, the Oath Keepers, led by Rhodes, marched from the former Vito's RV Park on E. Kuehn St. to Town Hall. The group's website called Quartzsite a pivot point for Americans to fi - nally see the looming danger of the "New World Order." Online, Rhodes stated he expected to draw thousands of protesters to his mus- ter. But the rally drew less than 200 people, some armed, who chanted, "Nazi police chief resign" and other slogans against then Quartzsite Po- lice Chief Jeff Gilbert and the town council. But the heat had withered most of the out-of-town protesters leaving a small crowd for the BBQ and Jordan Page concert back at Vito's RV Park. In May of 2012, Rhodes was pub- licly admonished by the Arizona Supreme Court and fi ned $600 for acting as the Quartzsite protesters' attorney when he wasn't licensed to practice law in Arizona. The Oath Keepers made national news again in 2014 when they held a heavily-armed standoff against the federal government at Bundy Ranch in Bunkerville, Nevada, with Rhodes leading the charge. Court records show Rhodes was disbarred in Montana in 2015 after a complaint against him by a federal judge who said he ignored judicial or- ders and a separate complaint from a former client who accused him of abandonment - On April 28, 2015 a federal judge in Arizona fi led an eth- ics grievance after Rhodes attempted to fi le a lawsuit without a license. In a separate case, Rhodes was ac- cused of abandoning a client in the midst of a federal lawsuit. A third complaint centered on Rhodes' con- duct representing a Quartzsite blog- ger Jennifer Jones. In the one year since January 6, more than 725 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 225 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongo- ing. Anyone with tips can call 1- 800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov. An indictment is merely an alle- gation, and all defendants are pre- sumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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