p Federal authorities have charged a Kansas City, Kansas, emergency department nurse and another man with felony possession of unregistered destructive devices, alleging they were part of an anti-government group called the Red Legs. In separate federal cases, 25-year-old Lake Ethan Roberts and 31-year-old Jarred G. Gilliam are accused of possessing improvised explosive devices, and each faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
p Court documents cited by federal prosecutors describe devices made from a plastic “shooter” bottle filled with black powder, with a fuse threaded through the cap and steel BBs wrapped with duct tape. Authorities say Roberts tested at least two devices in a quarry east of Kansas City, then collected the pieces, including one that had partially detonated.
p Prosecutors also allege Gilliam—an emergency department nurse at the University of Kansas Medical Center—had experimented with Molotov cocktails. Federal authorities say agents found three glass-bottle incendiary devices in an outbuilding at his home on June 3; Gilliam is also alleged to have removed a Flock automatic license plate reader camera from the medical center campus.
p The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas described the Red Legs as a violent extremist group that promotes violent attacks on government agencies and the military, including targets such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and facilities and the Missouri National Guard. Roberts is held without bond pending trial, while Gilliam is held pending a detention hearing set for July 6 and has been assigned a federal public defender.
Federal charges allege Kansas City man and others built destructive devices tied to anti-government “Red Legs” group
