Five more men, including four former soldiers, have been charged in connection with what prosecutors call an anarchist militia based at Fort Stewart.
A Liberty County grand jury indicted the men — Adam Dearman, Randall Dearman, Timothy Joiner, Christopher Jenderseck and Anthony Garner — on charges of illegal gang activity and several counts of theft, burglary and auto-break ins. District Attorney Tom Durden said this week the crimes were committed to fund the militia group F.E.A.R., an acronym for Forever Enduring Always Ready.
Last month, four Fort Stewart soldiers and one civilian were indicted in neighboring Long County on charges of murder and gang-related activities. Durden told the judge they were leaders of F.E.A.R., which was bent on assassinating the president, poisoning apple crops and bombing dams in Washington state and blowing up the fountain in Savannah’s Forsyth Park.
As for the five indicted this week, Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson said all but Randall Dearman are former soldiers at the base. Adam Dearman was “administratively separated” in November 2011. Joiner and Garner were also “administratively separated” in December 2011 and May 2012, respectively. Larson declined to discuss the specifics of the separations or whether they were related to the charges the men now face.
Jenderseck completed his service at Fort Stewart in April of this year, Larson said.
Joiner and Garner have not yet been apprehended, according to law enforcement officials. Jenderseck was arrested in North Dakota this week by U.S. Marshals, according to WSAV News 3 in Savannah.
The wave of indictments was set in motion last December, when the bodies of soldier Michael Roark and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Tiffany York, were discovered in woods near Ludowici, about 15 miles from Fort Stewart.
Sgt. Anthony Peden, Pvt. Christopher Salmon and Pvt. Isaac Aguigui are charged with their murders. They face the death penalty if convicted.
Salmon’s wife, Heather Salmon, also faces murder charges, but not the death penalty. A fourth soldier, Pfc. Michael Burnett, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is cooperating with prosecutors.
Prosecutors believe Roark was buying guns for the gang and was killed after he left the military in order to silence him.
Larson, the Fort Stewart spokesman, said no further indictments are expected. “We remain confident there are no unknown subjects,” he said Tuesday via e-mail.
None of the men indicted this week are believed to be involved in the deaths of Roark and York, though Jenderseck, also known as “Jelly,” has been charged with tampering with evidence. Durden said Jenderseck helped the accused soldiers burn the clothing they wore the night of the killings.
Prosecutors say Aguigui bankrolled F.E.A.R.’s operations with a life insurance payout he received after the death of his wife, Deirdre, last year. Fort Stewart spokesman Ron Elliott confirmed that her death, which occurred on-base, is under investigation.
Calls to the district attorney’s office were not returned Tuesday.
FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett would not comment on whether federal officials were involved in the investigation, though agents for the FBI and ATF, along with local law enforcement, were cited as witnesses in the indictments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
