By Alex Thomas and JG Vibes
theintelhub.com
Due to its close proximity to Washington DC, in recent years Maryland has become one of the worst police states in the country.
Last month, we reported on a botched FBI raid in Maryland, where unarmed teenagers were shot at simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Then, just the other day in Baltimore, an activist and blogger had his house surrounded by police over a trumped-up charge that was over 3 years old.
Now, in a more rural area of Maryland, a man named Terry Porter became the target of a massive manhunt involving FBI and state police after being reported to be a “survivalist” with a “collection of guns” who outlined his anger over the presidential reelection to an undercover officer.
This situation apparently stemmed from an anonymous tip from someone who reported Terry to the police because he owned guns and invested in a bomb shelter.
Where this “anonymous” tip actually came from is still a mystery due to the fact that many of the neighbors in the area who were questioned by reporters have expressed support for Terry and have said that they are extremely offended by the tax dollars and police resources that were used to hunt down a nonviolent person.
It seems from all accounts that Mr. Porter is a nonviolent person who has come under federal suspicion simply for preparing himself and his family for any trouble that may occur in the future.
Sadly, AFTER the police begun to investigate the man, they found out that he had a 1992 felony drug conviction on his record which enabled them to be able to then attack his house with 150 armed officers.
This is not some doomsday maniac as the mainstream media would suggest, disasters happen all the time, and more often than not, people are unprepared just as we are seeing in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
According to the initial local news report:
A Sharpsburg area man who was the subject of a massive search by police Thursday afternoon turned himself in to Maryland State Police on Friday and was charged with 14 firearms violations, according to the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office and Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore.
Terry Allen Porter, 46, of 4433 Mills Road, was being held on $75,000 bond Friday night at the Washington County Detention Center, according to a jail spokesperson.
State police issued a press release after 6 p.m. Friday that said Porter turned himself in at the Hagerstown Barrack at 9:30 a.m., and that he and his attorney met with investigators.
Police went to Porter’s home Friday and seized a rifle and a shotgun, the release said. That was in addition to two rifles and three shotguns recovered Thursday night, the release said.
The confirmation that Porter was at the detention center was the first acknowledgment that he was the subject of Thursday’s manhunt.
Earlier Friday, a day after FBI agents, Maryland State Police, Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies, two special response units and others descended on an area south of Sharpsburg for a massive manhunt, authorities had little to say about what they were doing, why they were doing it and for whom they were searching.
After receiving complaints from the anonymous tipper, police sent in an undercover officer posing as a customer for the mans business.
A Sharpsburg man charged last week with illegal possession of firearms is a “doomsday prepper” who told an undercover Maryland State Police trooper about an underground bunker and surveillance cameras on his property, according to a charging document filed in Washington County District Court.
[…..]
A state police corporal went to Porter’s home Nov. 16, posing as a customer for the business Porter runs from his home, the charging document said. Porter got “very irritated” during a discussion of the recent presidential election and “openly admitted to being a prepper,” the document said.
From all accounts, Porter had been a law-abiding sentence for the last 20 years. An article by a local Maryland blogger confirmed this fact.
It is true that Porter had a 20-year-old drug conviction on his record (confirmed here by the Hagerstown Herald Mail) but apparently had no subsequent run-ins with the law.
He is legally not allowed to own a gun so he does have a legal problem, but that doesn’t justify the cost and scope of this massive operation.
Heather Hamilton, 35, who lives at 18809 Burnside Bridge Road, around the corner from Porter’s house, said Friday that a Maryland State Police trooper went to her home the day before to talk to her about what was going on and mentioned that it was regarding a man she had known since childhood.
“You had helicopters flying over, SWAT crews down here, excavation equipment was brought in, and armored vehicles,” she said.
“It was ridiculous for (the man), who would not hurt another person for anything. Unless you would attack him, he’s not going to go after anyone.”
She said she viewed the operation as “a big waste of taxpayer money.”
Another neighbor, Doug Bigelow, also outlined his support for Porter. “Surprised at what was going on, Bigelow said he always found his friend to live his life on the “straight and narrow.