LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced additional charges against members of white supremacist group The Base, according to the state attorney general’s office.
We’re told the charges were brought about following a joint investigation by Michigan State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
25-year-old Justen Watkins, 32-year-old Thomas Denton, and 19-year-old Tristan Webb will be charged with one count of larceny, one count of gang membership, one count of plotting to instruct others on using firearms to bring civil disorder, and one count of felony firearm, state officials tell us.
All three men are accused of entering a pair of vacant Michigan Department of Corrections sites in Caro last October, according to Nessel’s office. We’re told they allegedly took state-issued clothing from one of the sites and that it is believed they intended to use the sites as training grounds for what the group reportedly called “hate camps.”
“As Michigan's chief law enforcement officer, it is my duty to protect the public from those who act upon dangerous anti-government and white supremacy ideologies," says Nessel. “I appreciate the multiagency coordination that took place to secure these charges and I look forward to working with Prosecutor Reene as the case progresses.”
The attorney general’s office says Webb and Denton were placed on bond under the following terms: $250,000 cash or surety, cannot leave the state of Michigan, cannot possess dangerous weapons or devices with internet connectivity, no drugs or alcohol, no communication with co-defendants, and no communication with associates of The Base.
Watkins was charged last year in relation to a 2019 incident in which he and another man allegedly intimidated a family in Dexter, Nessel’s office adds.
READ MORE: White supremacists facing charges after allegedly terrorizing family in Dexter
