Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 72, of Falkville, Alabama (pop. 1,200), believed Trump’s “stolen election” lies.
So he drove to Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021 to do something, he wasn’t sure what, about it.
He took with him “a handgun, a rifle, a shotgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow, machetes, a stun gun and a cooler containing eleven mason jars with holes punched in the lids” and filled with “a mixture of gasoline and Styrofoam,” i.e. Molotov cocktails, and parked a few blocks from the Capitol.
Although Coffman “isn’t accused of entering the Capitol or joining the mob” (eh? see photo at left), he was “carrying a loaded handgun and revolver … as he walked in Washington, D.C.” that day, according to prosecutors.
This wasn’t the first time Coffman went to Washington D.C. to air his “election fraud” grievances. He had gone there in December 2020 and that time “tried to drive to the home of a U.S. senator.”
Although he’s been described as a “lone wolf” (see story here), Coffman has ties to a Texas rightwing armed militia group.
Now, he has another grievance. Coffman, who was considered so dangerous he was denied bail and kept behind bars after being arrested, wrote a letter to the judge pleading, “At my age, one of the most precious (things) we possess is time, and I have wasted almost a whole precious year.” He wasted more than that. She sentenced him to 3 years and 10 months, with credit for time served, meaning he’ll spend more time behind bars (story here).
Trump is partly to blame for his problems, by lying to and inciting people like him, but Coffman himself made a lot of bad decisions, and now he’s paying for them.
Photos: Above, Coffman (outlined) in a Jan. 6 crowd; below, his Alabama enclave
