Attorneys want off case of Signal man accused of plotting to kill Muslims

Robert Doggart
Robert Doggart

The trial of a Signal Mountain man accused of planning an attack on a mosque in New York has hit another snag.

Robert Doggart's attorneys, Bryan Hoss and Janie Varnell Parks, have asked to be removed from representation after several weeks of irreconcilable conflict ended in a complete communication breakdown, according to a motion filed last week.

While the Sequatchie County resident searches for another lawyer, his trial has been moved to March 7, U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier wrote in a different motion filed Monday.

photo Robert Doggart arrives on July 13, 2015, at the back entrance of the Joel Solomon Federal Building in Chattanooga, Tenn.

"The Court finds that allowing more time for defendant to retain counsel and for the parties to prepare arguments effectuates the prompt and efficient disposition of criminal justice," Collier wrote.

Without telling Hoss and Varnell, Doggart met with another defense attorney and said he wants new representation, the motion said. Until Jan. 19, when Collier addresses the issue, Hoss and Varnell will represent Doggart.

Authorities believe Doggart, who ran as an independent East Tennessee's 2014 District 4 congressional race, spent months gathering weapons and plotting an assault on a small Muslim community called Islamberg outside of Hancock, N.Y.

A local judge authorized a wiretap of Doggart's phone in March 2015 after federal agents became aware of him and began surveillance in early 2015.

In one recorded call, Doggart allegedly told a woman, "We're gonna be carrying a M4 with 500 rounds of ammunition, light armor-piercing, a pistol with three extra magazines and a machete. And if it gets down to the machete, we will cut them to shreds."

In April 2015, Doggart was taken into custody and released on a $30,000 bond to home detention one month later.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge of solicitation to commit a civil rights violation in July, much to the chagrin of American Muslims who gathered outside the federal courthouse to protest.

Hoss previously said Social Security disability records show Doggart has depression and a personality disorder, but is not a danger. Hoss wrote his client has no prior criminal record, according to court documents.

In September, Judge Collier signed an order delaying 64-year-old Doggart's trial from Sept. 21, 2015, to Jan. 19 in Chattanooga. According to Monday's motion, Doggart has until Feb. 8 to execute any kind of plea agreement.

And the July protesters argued that Doggart, who is white, wouldn't have received what they called preferential treatment if he had been Muslim.

His case is not unique.

A Texas man killed a state trooper and sprayed a mosque with gunfire at prayer time while trying to launch an insurgency movement in 2014. He was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison in November 2015, according to news reports.

These domestic terrorism cases are cause for concern, Muslim leaders said Tuesday, because they embolden people with similar ideas to take action.

"It also specifically affects Christians," said Glenn Hatch, the Amir, or local administrator, of the Muslims in America community in Dover, Tenn., which is a sister community to the New York organization Doggart allegedly planned to attack.

"As they see this, they are incited by this racist bigotry," he said. "These people, these militia groups, they say they are patriots. They are antireligious freedom."

Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow @zackpeterson918.

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