Posted on 09/30/2003 8:27:30 AM PDT by 11th Earl of Mar
Standoff between landowner, sheriff 'cooled down'
Tuesday, September 30, 2003By Ted Roelofs
The Grand Rapids Press
He has begun to fill in the trenches surrounding his land.
Embattled landowner Lyle Barkley now says he will abide by the findings of the court -- even if it means he must remove trailers from his land 10 miles southeast of Charlevoix.
"I think it's cooled down. I'm not a terrorist or anything," Barkley said of a looming showdown that brought the attention of militia members who threatened to fight to defend him.
Local officials hope a meeting Thursday will continue to defuse tensions, which mounted earlier this month when Barkley faced possible arrest and removal of three trailers from his property.
Charlevoix County Sheriff George Lasater said he assured Barkley he would not be arrested when he leaves his land to attend the meeting in Charlevoix.
"That is not my style," Lasater said. "Hopefully, we can resolve this so nobody gets hurt."
The private meeting will include Barkley, Lasater, Charlevoix County Prosecutor Mary Beth Kur, the county building inspector, two officials from Bay Township and two representatives chosen by Barkley.
They include a friend and Norm Olson, an adviser to the Michigan Militia and outspoken critic of what he considers government intrusion on individual rights.
"I hope that these zoning officials and these bureaucrats are able to recognize that they did indeed make a mistake," Olson said.
He maintained Barkley was the victim of inconsistent actions by townships, rather than anything he did wrong.
"I am not overly optimistic," Olson said. "It's going to require that these bureaucrats are wrong, and they are not going to do that."
Barkley faced a Sept. 18 district court deadline to remove the trailers from his property, which township officials maintain violate local zoning and building ordinances.
According to the township, Barkley applied for a permit to build additions on two mobile homes on his property. Barkley instead moved two additional mobile units on his property, attaching one to the mobile home in which he lives with his wife, Shirley, and one to the mobile home where his daughter, Kim, lives with her boyfriend and three children.
As the deadline approached, members of a Colorado-based militia group said they would send armed members to Barkley's land to protect him.
Barkley, an excavator, dug trenches around the perimeter of his land as a defensive measure against a possible assault.
As the deadline passed, Kur said she would recommend against enforcing the district court order while the case is appealed to Charlevoix County Circuit Court.
Barkley said he paid a $500 fee to have transcripts of his district court hearing sent to circuit court -- a necessary step to continue his appeal. He also said he would obey the final ruling of that court, even if it orders him to remove the trailers.
"If that's what the court says, then I will abide by that," he said.
In addition to filling in the trench, Barkley, with the help of volunteers, also cleaned up debris that cluttered his property.
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