Man sentenced in attempted Monroe courthouse "takeover"

The man charged in a "takeover" of the Monroe County, Tenn., Courthouse in April 2010 was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison on a conviction of transporting firearms across state lines with intent to cause civil disorder, a news release states.

Darren Wesley Huff, 42, of Dallas, Ga., was sentenced in U.S. District Court.

On April 20, 2010, Huff, a former militia member, traveled from his home to Madisonville, Tenn., where he intended to arrest public officials with "citizens arrest warrants" directed at numerous local, state and federal public officials including sheriffs, police chiefs and President Obama, according to the release.

Huff's warrants listed the public officials as "Declared Domestic Enemies" and cited them for treason, officials said.

The officials' treasonous acts "stemmed primarily from the refusal of the Monroe County grand jury to indict President Obama, who Huff claimed was not the legitimate president of the United States," the release states.

The day of the offense, Huff carried a .45-caliber handgun and an AK-47 with ammunition in his vehicle and told people that day that he had 300 to 400 rounds of ammunition with the AK-47, according to officials.

When a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper stopped Huff, Huff told the officer, "I've got my .45 because ain't no government official gonna go peacefully," the release states.

"This sentence will send a strong message to those who attempt to take the law into their own hands," U.S. Attorney Bill Killian said in the release. "Under our federal Constitution and statutes Mr. Huff and others like him can talk or write about their anti-government views. They cannot arm themselves and make threats to arrest public officials and take over government buildings."

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