Greenwood police arrested Christopher C. Byrne, 31, on Aug. 15 for normal traffic violations before discovering several items in Byrne’s possession that suggested he was planning an act of domestic terrorism.
Greenwood Police Department Officer Eric McElhaney said he noticed Byrne driving suspiciously through a parking lot where there have been many recent break ins, according to a press release from the Johnson County Prosecuter’s Office. After observing Byrne commit a traffic violation, McElhaney pulled Byrne over and asked for identification. Byrne replied by claiming to be a sovereign national and refusing.
After identifying Byrne as a habitual traffic violator, GPD arrested him and searched his car, according to the release. Police found a Ruger 10-22 rifle with 100 rounds of ammunition attached with a scope and homemade presser, along with water bottles filled with bleach and ammonia, which form a toxic gas when combined in open air or a destructive device when mixed in a sealed container.
Byrne was convicted of theft in August 2015 after federal and state authorities found stolen police equipment in his Indianapolis apartment, according to the release. One of the items found was an AR-15 rifle that went missing from GPD Officer Michelle Richardson’s police car in October 2014 before the car was set on fire.
Byrne was also facing a jury trial for previous charges from the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office at the time of the traffic stop, according to the release. Because of the circumstances of the arrest and a request from the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Cynthia Emkes authorized a $1 million bond on Byrne’s state habitual traffic violator charge and revoked his bond on his pending charges, according to the release.
On Aug. 22, Byrne pled guilty to pending charges of carrying a handgun without a license with a felony conviction, a level 5 felony, and being a habitual traffic violator, a level 6 felony.
Byrne will be sentenced Nov. 3, according to the release. He is facing up to six years in prison and possible additional federal firearms and toxic chemicals charges under federal law from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
Cassie Heeke
