An alleged Montana militia member was arrested after surrendering to authorities following an armed standoff at a Starbucks.
Timothy Allen Westervelt, 34, faces child sex abuse charges and is accused of being an active member of the Yellowstone Militia, a group with members across the state.
Authorities in Yellowstone County had issued a $250,000 warrant for his capture on four felony crimes: child sex abuse, child rape and possession of child sex abuse material, according to the Billings Gazette.
The probable cause documents outlining the case are currently under seal, as is standard in those involving minors. A day after the warrant was issued on January 27, Westervelt allegedly decided to evade arrest by hiding in a Starbucks for about an hour, forcing staff and customers to flee the area for safety.
Yellowstone County law enforcement personnel and officers from the Livingston Police Department responded to the coffee shop and ultimately took Westervelt into custody. He was booked into Yellowstone County Detention Facility and his first court appearance was on Friday.
The man had allegedly been part of a militia in and around the Billings area for more than four years. He’d tried to garner support for the group as recently as October, social media posts show, according to the outlet.
The group’s website states it is not anti-government or law enforcement and says it welcomes all “law-abiding men and women,” the newspaper reported.
During the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, shortly after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, armed militia members were seen near the Yellowstone County Courthouse as demonstrators called for renewed police accountability.
Later, as a Juneteenth celebration took place around a county park, militia members circled the area.
Westervelt faces up to 100 years in prison on each of the child sex abuse charges.
