I am sure someone will post this if I don't. Make sure you read the whole thing. He brought this on himself. The arrest and raid had little to do with the quantity of ammo. He was under a restraining order and threatened people in public. Smart guy.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/News01/708310318/1130/Sports01
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/News01/708310318/1130/Sports01
Raid nets almost 80,000 rounds of ammunition
River Park man still being held in St. Joseph County jail.
TOM MOOR
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- A man who reportedly was stockpiling thousands of rounds of ammunition in his small, two-story River Park home "believed that the world economy was going to crash and society would become violent," according to authorities.
Federal officers, searching for ammunition, removed 79,010 rounds of it from the man's South 28th Street home Wednesday afternoon, Donald Schmidt, an assistant U.S. attorney, said Thursday in a voice mail.
A federal affidavit unsealed indicates that Wednesday's search and arrest came after a months-long investigation into 38-year-old Kevin W. Rieder, a man who authorities believe is delusional and has long been stockpiling ammunition and supplies.
South Bend police and agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives served a federal search warrant about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the man's home on South 28th Street, just south of Mishawaka Avenue on the city's east side.
Authorities blocked off several streets around his neighborhood for about six hours, as dozens of neighbors crowded around to catch a glimpse of the unusual event. The South Bend Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Response Team also responded.
ATF agents arrested Rieder, who was still in the St. Joseph County Jail Thursday afternoon, police said. Rieder made an appearance in court Thursday for an unlawful transport of firearms, WSBT-TV reported. He is due back in court Tuesday.
A call to Schmidt to receive more details about the case was not returned by press deadline.
The federal affidavit indicates there was probable cause to arrest the man for receiving ammunition while he was the subject of a restraining order involving a former girlfriend.
The 16-page document also reveals that the ATF's Project Disarm Task Force has been investigating the man since mid-April, and that a mental health investigation found he was "suffering from delusions with persecutory tendencies," which led him to spend three days in Madison Center.
Several run-ins
Federal officers were first called to the home back in April after receiving a tip that Rieder was "stock piling large quantities of fuel and fertilizer." The caller was worried the material could be used to make explosive devices.
During a search of the home two days later on April 19, officers found "large quantities" of ammunition, as well as a handful of radio, car parts, batteries, plastic sheeting and flashlights, according to the affidavit. Inside Rieder's garage, officers found "several" 25-gallon drums filled with gasoline.
Rieder reportedly told officers the ammunition would be necessary to protect the items he was storing, as well as the "people I care about."
Rieder also told officers he was preparing for when the economy crashed and that he was protecting his property from the "thugs of Gary and here in South Bend."
On Aug. 10, federal officers received reports from Michigan State Police that Rieder purchased a large quantity of ammunition from the Rural King. An employee of the store told police Rieder usually bought 12-gauge, 20-gauge and .22-caliber ammunition.
Most of the ammunition was being bought from Menards and Rural King, officials say.
Two days later, Rieder reportedly told an employee of the store while buying the ammunition "the next great depression is coming." The employee said he helped Rieder load the supplies into a full-sized white pickup truck, owned by Michiana Movers Inc., the company Rieder owns.
Rieder reportedly told the employee he owned an AK-47.
A history of violence?
Rieder had been arrested on May 5, July 31 and Aug. 6 for violating the protective order prohibiting him from contact with his former girlfriend.
On Aug. 9, Rieder was asked to leave the lobby of the South Bend Police Department after become irate. He said to a civilian at the station, "You'll get yours," according to the affidavit.
A man filed a police report in Mishawaka against Rieder on Aug. 20, claiming Rieder shot out his car windows. It is unclear if charges were filed against Rieder.
The man whose windows were shot is reportedly dating Rieder's ex-girlfriend. The man told police Rieder had been harassing him and his father since Rieder found out he was dating the woman, the documents show.
Sometime in July, after "stocking up" on 50-pound bags of rice at Pampered Paws, Rieder reportedly yelled at the father, who owns the store: "You better get life insurance on your son. I'm a self-made millionaire and I'm going to have it done, and he's going to die."
Two people interviewed by officers who knew Rieder well said the man smoked marijuana. His ex-girlfriend said he had been "smoking crack cocaine since he was 15 years old," according to the documents.
Staff writer Joshua Stowe contributed to this report.
Staff writer Tom Moor:
[email protected]
(574) 235-6187
