Prosecutors release damaging new information about militia member who plotted against Alaska law enforcement.

As I wrote just last month, Coleman Barney, one of Schaeffer Cox's buddies who helped to plot the murder of State Troopers and local judges, was able to get his bail reduced from 2 million dollars to a mere $100,000. Once that was accomplished his supporters have taken up collections to raise the money, and his legal team has been working hard to get Coleman out of jail and reintroduced back into his community. (Courtesy of the Alaska Dispatch)

Barney's defense attorney has told the court that there are good reasons to let the man go home to his work and family. The state court, in which Barney faces the most serious charges, has already agreed to it. The 36-year-old lifelong Alaskan, businessman and father of five is also a respected and active member of his church. He is stable, hard working, looks out for his family and others and "has a history of contributing to the community, not destroying it," Tim Dooley, Barney's attorney, wrote in a motion filed recently with the court. To reinforce this point Dooley included several letters of support from Barney's friends and relatives.

As you can imagine this has not gone over well with many Alaskans, nor with the federal prosecutors who put the case together against Cox and his fellow conspirators, and who have now released heretofore unknown information to paint quite a different picture of Cox than the one his defense team wants to define their client.

Prosecutors are urging the judge to not be fooled, and to help the judge make up his mind they’ve offered new details about the day of Barney's arrest and evidence found at his home and other locations.

"Coleman Barney, father of five, business owner and member of the community referenced in the defense pleadings and in letters of support, is not the same Coleman Barney who elected to arrive to an illegal arms sale wearing body armor and carrying two loaded pistols. It is not the Coleman Barney who, during this arms sale held and examined with his own hands what he thought were live hand grenades, and a pistol silencer combination. It was not the same Coleman Barney who sought to purchase tactical weapons which only exist to kill either violently, secretly, or furtively," prosecutor Stephen Skrocki wrote in a motion filed Wednesday opposing Barney"s release.

Skrocki goes on: "To this sale, Coleman Barney arrived with a similarly armed and equipped fugitive/co-conspirator whom he (and without doubt his spouse) supported and harbored for several weeks amongst his own family of small children while hatching a plan to murder state of Alaska law enforcement officers and a state court judge. To assist this fugitive/co-conspirator, Schaffer Cox, Barney secreted and left in a very public place -- a well known and popular winter festival -- a trailer he owned, loaded with tactically directed weapons of warfare -- two live grenades, grenade making components, 18 grenade shells, grenade launchers, a belt-fed Browning semi-automatic machine gun, and other militarily offensive firearms and ammunition."

"The decision to deposit this trailer in such a public place defies explanation and speaks volumes concerning character. In leaving the trailer in plain view, Barney placed the needs of his cause and his allegiance to his co-conspirator above those of who lived in his community. The risk of harm to the attendees, which included children of all ages, were very real and very significant."

You know I can't speak for all Alaskans here, but my opinion is that this guy needs to be kept locked away until after his trial, which I dearly hope earns him a life sentence in a Federal penitentiary someplace far, far away from Alaska.

By the way, through my sources I have also heard that the Feds informant in this case, William Fulton, is also understandably displeased to learn that this nutjob might be allowed out into the community, and considers that to be an extremely dangerous decision if in fact it is allowed to happen.

Cox and his buddies know full well that the case against them partially hinges on the testimony of "Drop Zone Bill" Fulton, and having Barney out on the streets trying to tie up loose ends, places him and his family in grave danger.