Arson investigator’s van arsoned

An arson investigator’s van was set on fire early Wednesday in southwest Denver as he was inside a nearby home investigating two other vehicle fires.

The incident happened about 12:30 a.m. in the 3900 block of West Kentucky Avenue, said Lt. Phil Champagne, a Denver Fire Department spokesman.

Fire officials are now investigating three possible cases of vehicle arson, including the van.

“It’s a great concern to us that an individual would be so bold,” Champagne said.

The van fire started in the engine compartment, and it was quickly extinguished before it could spread to the cab, Champagne said. Authorities believe an accelerant was splashed on the front bumper.

Investigators usually work in pairs, but one of the two called in sick.

Walter Bond sentenced to 5 years for arson

See also:

Support Walter

Walter’s Final Statement to the Court

Defiance in the Face of Adversity

Denver Post article:

An animal-rights activist who burned down the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale unleashed a vitriolic and unapologetic speech in federal court today prior to being sentenced to five years in prison.

Walter Edmund Bond told Judge Christine Arguello that he has no remorse for the fire, which he has said he lit under the banner of the radical Animal Liberation Front, or ALF. The fire destroyed the store, which sells items such as sheepskin seat covers and blankets.

“In a society that honors money over life, I am honored to be a prisoner of war,” Bond said.

As Bond raged in the heavily guarded courtroom — at one point saying he wanted Livaditis to “choke on everything you earned” — a member of Livaditis’ family cried in the audience.

Bond, 34, admitted in November that he set the April 2010 fire and pleaded guilty to two felonies. He was arrested July 22.

Going along with the plea deal, Arguello sentenced Bond to five years in federal prison with three years of supervised release afterward. She also ordered Bond to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution and said he would face additional prison time if he didn’t keep up with restitution payments.

Bond told Arguello he would not willingly make the payments.

Bond is also facing federal charges in Utah for allegedly lighting two arson fires there as part of his animal-rights campaign.

In handing down the sentence, Arguello noted she had received 50 letters, many from people supporting Bond and arguing that the fire harmed no one.

Bond was convicted in Iowa in 1996 for lighting a pentagram on fire inside a church and convicted again in 1997 in Iowa for setting fire to a building [of a meth producer/dealer].

Bond’s speech today stood in contrast to statements his lawyer made on his behalf last month in a court filing seeking to get Bond a reduced sentence of less than four years. In that filing, attorney Edward Harris wrote that Bond had renounced “burning the businesses of those who offend his principles.”

“Mr. Bond … now believes that the better course of action is to limit his advocacy to speech and writing,” Harris wrote.

That sentiment was not evident during Bond’s speech, as he called affiliating with the ALF, “the proudest and most powerful thing I have ever done.” Bond, who has identified himself at times in online writings as “ALF Lone Wolf,” addressed part of his speech to “my vegan sisters and brothers” and encouraged them to keep up their campaign.

About a dozen of Bond’s supporters sat in the courtroom for the sentencing hearing, and they were joined by numerous uniformed and plain-clothed security officers, as well as a bomb-sniffing dog.

After the hearing, many of the activists, some of whom traveled from across the country to attend, said they supported Bond’s statement. Elizabeth Tobier, who has said she has been corresponding with Bond and who flew from New York to attend, said the Sheepskin Factory sold the hides of “enslaved beings.”

“Personally, I think he was extremely effective,” she said of the arson.

Write Bond letters of prisoner support at:

Walter Bond  # P01051760
PO Box 16700
Golden, CO 80402-6700

400 riot in Fort Collins, burning and looting

‘til it breaks notes:

A longer media story and videos of the riot can be found here.

Apparently rioters were heard to shout “fuck the police” and generally deny the authority of the cops as the riot unfolded, at least until the cops and SWAT team deployed enough tear gas and other weapons to disperse them.

Arrests have been made in the wake of the riot as police reviewed video footage and issued warrants.  No matter how drunk you are during a riot, always remember to always cover your face!

FORT COLLINS — Five people have been cited for disorderly conduct and Fort Collins and Colorado State University police are reviewing videotapes to see whether they can identify others who spurred a riot that rolled through Old Town early Sunday morning.

So far, no students have been linked to the brawl, and officials are insisting that this won’t turn out to be another riot-plagued start to the school year.

Police used tear gas and pepper-spray balls to break up a crowd of 400 people near the intersection of North College and Mountain avenues after the Earth, Wind & Fire concert Saturday night at the annual Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest ended, said police spokeswoman Rita Davis.

It apparently all started after two men were ejected from a downtown bar. Several fights ensued.

Rioters began throwing beer bottles, patio furniture and other objects at police while damaging cars, stealing items from vendor tents and setting trash cans on fire, Davis said.

Some were injured in the fighting, including two men who went through the window of the Santa Fe Craftsman shop at 118 N. College Ave. They were taken to the hospital by ambulance before police could identify them, Davis said.

At least one vendor tent was burned in the rioting.

Teen arrested in Broomfield pavilion arson

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the Aug. 12 fire that destroyed the outdoor pavilion and adjacent restrooms at Broomfield’s Northmoor Park.During the past eight days, a joint investigation by Broomfield police and the North Metro Fire arson investigators identified the suspect, according to Broomfield Police Sgt. H.R. Walts. 

According to Walts, the case was presented to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and an arrest warrant obtained for the juvenile.

He was arrested Thursday and is currently being held for investigation of first- and second-degree arson.

The fire was first reported to 911 dispatchers at about 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 12. When firefighters arrived at the scene at 1310 Birch St., the pavilion, the furniture in the pavilion and the restrooms were completely engulfed in flames.

The loss was estimated at about $45,000.

Arson investigation underway at Fort Collins million-dollar warehouse fire

FORT COLLINS – Firefighters Wednesday morning were still on the scene of a three-alarm fire that caused more than $1 million in damage in northwest Fort Collins on Tuesday evening.

The fire broke out shortly after 5 p.m. at a 75-by-200-foot single-story warehouse and workshop at Forney Industries, 1830 LaPorte Ave., sending a heavy cloud of noxious smoke over the city.

This morning, fire investigators with Poudre Fire Authority and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were beginning to seek the fire’s cause and exactly what burned. Firefighters remained at the fire to douse any lingering hot spots, said PFA Capt. Sharon McNeil.

Air-quality tests last night prompted firefighters to conclude that the smoke, while irritating, posed little direct threat to the public. The visible smoke has dissipated this morning, although the smell still lingers.

At the fire site, foam and water still drip from the corrugated metal sides of the building, which collapsed as the fire roared through it. At least one of the metal beams supporting the roof appears to have buckled from intense heat.

PFA spokesman Patrick Love said no one was injured in the fire, but that one area resident complained of breathing difficulties due to the smoke. Love said no additional information about that person was available.

Forney Industries President and CEO Steve Anderson said the company, a longtime family-owned distribution company, won’t suffer too badly from the loss of the building.

“It was more overflow storage than anything,” he said on Tuesday evening. “We can re-order a lot of the product in there and it’s insured so I don’t think we’ll have too many problems.”

Forney Industries has operated in Fort Collins for more than 80 years. The company offers more than 4,500 products ranging from hardware, automotive and farm and ranch equipment, according to the company’s Website.

In 1949, a fire at Forney Industries caused $235,000 worth of damage to the company’s sole building at the time.

Sheepskin arson case: informant was Bond’s brother

In a new letter (excerpts posted below), the accused A.L.F. “Lone Wolf” Walter Bond addresses several lingering questions surrounding his case. Among them, the circumstances of his arrest, quotes made about him by “friends” to the media, and: the identity of the informant who set him up.

Bond sits in jail on arson and Animal Enterprise Terrorism charges, accused of being the Animal Liberation Front “Lone Wolf”, responsible for three arsons at animal abuse targets in Utah and Colorado. To date, Bond has been charged only in the Denver Sheepskin Factory arson. He faces up to 30 years in prison.

The informant

Walter Bond was arrested after what court documents say was a set-up by a friend. The “friend” allegedly enticed Bond into a monitored conversation in which Bond allegedly admitted to three A.L.F. arsons. The entire set-up was orchestrated by the ATF. The informant had been identified to date only as someone Bond had not seen in 12 years. In his letter from jail, Bond reveals the identity of the informant, and other details of his arrest.

Excerpts from Walter Bond’s jail statement

The details surrounding his arrest:

“The day of my arrest I was on my way to see my brother. We hadnt’ seen each other for 12 years, and he had told me that he was coming to Denver to help our half-brother [name redacted] move. He had told me that he was bringing my nephews I had never met. I left [location redacted] thinking I was going to begin healing the very deep wounds of my shattered family. I was wrong. My brother [name redacted] had been working for the ATF since July 1st.

On my way to the hotel he was at, the police stopped me because I was on a ‘bulletin’. They quesioned me mostly about veganism, and my tattoos. I refused to say anything except ‘I have nothing to say’. They searched me and let me go. I later realized I was only released so that I could walk down the street and into an ATF set-up.”

On statements made to the media by “friends” (referencing negative statements made about Bond to the media):

“I found out from a visitor today that Billy Jo has been spinning fanciful tales about me. First off, I was not at her house. Next, I am vegan as everyone that has ever met or known me can attest. I was not at a BBQ nor was I even at Jim and Billy Jo’s house. I was simply arrested on their front lawn. In two years time I have spoken to Billy Jo a grand total of perhaps two-dozen sentences…. My guess is that given her shady nature the ATF scared her into trying to discredit me. Altogether predictable and honestly of little consequence to me. Those who know me know what I stand for.”

On vegan food and support:

“I am being fed a vegan diet and of course the food is less than desirable. I have no money on my books and I can really use some for ramen noodles, envelopes, etc. Other than money and letters of support I don’t need anything from the outside.”

On animal liberation:

“Obviously I can not talk about my ongoing case / cases, but I will say this: the charges I face are serious. Accordingly so is the time that goes along with them. However nothing they can do to me can ever compare with what animals endure at the hands of speciesist human oppressors. Please use any means at your disposal to use whatever [illegigble] surrounding my case to bring awareness to the plight of animals. I am vegan and an animal liberation activist, and shall never relent in the fight for the total freedom of non-human animals.”

Support

After being denied bail, Walter Bond will likely remain in Jefferson County Jail (Golden, CO) until his trial. Write Walter Bond a letter of support:

Walter Edmund Bond
PO Box 16700
Golden, CO 80402-6700

– Peter Young

Arrest made in ALF Sheepskin Factory arson

While we have strong opinions about the events surrounding the April 30th arson and the ALF operative’s claiming of it, we are going to refrain from commentary on questions of ideology and tactical decisions. Suffice to say, we hope the informant gets what’s coming to them, and may the fires of revolt burn ever more fiercely.

The following is from the Denver fucking Post:

Federal investigators have arrested a 34-year-old Utah man in connection with the April 30 fire that destroyed the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale.

Walter Edmund Bond was taken into custody Thursday in Denver after allegedly telling an informant that he started the Glendale fire and two fires in Utah because they were businesses that “profited from animals.”

At the time of his arrest by FBI and ATF agents, Bond was carrying a backpack, according to an affidavit by Rennie Mora, a special agent for the ATF.

Agents searched the backpack and found literature titled, “The Declaration of War – Killing People to Save the Animals and the Environment – Strike a Match Light a Fuse We’ve Only Have the Earth to Lose.”

According to an affidavit, Bond is a member of the Animal Liberation Movement who went by the name “Lone Wolf.”

The Sheepskin Factory sold a variety of sheepskin products including but not limited to seat covers, shoes, rugs, and blankets. The fire destroyed the building and its contents resulting in approximately $500,000 in damage.

The informant told federal investigators that in early July, Bond contacted the informant by phone and that he admitted he had started the Sheepskin Factory fire, directing the informant to the website of the Animal Liberation Movement.

Rodeo and racing barn arsoned

State and local investigators are pursuing several possible suspects and motives in an arson fire set Sunday afternoon in Commerce City.

Twelve horses, a goat and 29 chickens perished Sunday in the barn in the 8400 block of Uinta Street northeast of the city.

The barn leases spaces to several owners, most of whom have rodeo animals and amateur racing horses, said Lt. Dennis Moon of the Commerce City Police Department.

Bad blood over a recent race is being investigated, along with other leads, he said.

“We’ve got a lot of conflicting reports right now,” Moon said, “and we’re trying to sort through them.”

The barn was fully engulfed when the South Adams County Fire Department arrived at about 3:15 p.m. Sunday.

A dog used by arson investigators found that an accelerant, such as gasoline, was used to the start the fire inside the barn, Moon said.

Sheepskin Factory fire was arson

‘

The fire at the Sheepskin Factory store at Colorado Boulevard and Cherry Creek Drive South in Glendale early Friday was intentionally set, officials said today.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information about the case.

The fire was reported at about 3:15 a.m. Friday.

Government vans arsoned in Fort Collins

Anonymous communique from Colorado Indymedia follows:

Two US government vans parked outside a military recruitment center in Fort Collins, CO were set on fire a couple of nights ago.  The extent of damage is unknown.

These wars go on and on.  We read about the dead.  Across an ocean and their names are not spoken here.

Kimya Hamid

Aji Agha Pather

Fereshta and her brother Ali

Rahmet Wali

Nejeba Mohd

Faisal Karim

Habdul Wajad

Malik Nabi Jan

Fatima Sarajiddin

Saya Begum and her sister Rayhan Begum

These flames are our way of remembering.

We fight here.