WILMINGTON, Ohio- A judge ordered a $20 million bond Thursday for Chevie Kehoe, the former fugitive who pleaded not guilty to charges he shot at and tried to kill local police and sheriff's deputies.
A dozen deputies led Mr. Kehoe, flown in Thursday from Utah, into the courtroom. He said nothing as his court-appointed lawyers entered a not-guilty plea during the arraignment. Common Pleas Judge William McCracken set a Sept. 22 trial date for Mr. Kehoe. With shackles on his legs and wrists, Mr. Kehoe, 24, wore a sleeveless denim shirt, blue jeans and hiking boots.
Mr. Kehoe and his brother Cheyne Kehoe, 21, formerly of Colville, Wash., are accused of participating in two shootouts with police after a Feb. 15 traffic stop near Wilmington.
The Clinton County indictment returned Feb. 20 accuses both of attempted murder of a police officer, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon.
No officer was injured.
Before and after Thursday's arraignment, Mr. Kehoe smiled at reporters peppering him with questions about the gunbattle and how he and his brother eluded police for nearly four months. On June 16, younger brother Cheyne surrendered to authorities in Colville, north of Spokane. Chevie was arrested a day later in Cedar City, Utah, a rural community four hours south of Salt Lake City.
The brothers had been fighting extradition to Ohio, but Chevie cooperated with authorities this week. Cheyne continues to fight extradition and remains jailed in Spokane on $1 million bond.
Officers said Chevie Kehoe was the driver and his brother was riding with him in a Suburban that police stopped along Ohio 73 because of expired Washington state license plates.
Chevie Kehoe resisted a patdown search, fled to the vehicle and was pursued by a state trooper and a Clinton County deputy sheriff. As he got into the Suburban and drove away, passenger Cheyne Kehoe fired several rounds at the officers with a semiautomatic handgun and fled on foot.
A Wilmington police officer found the vehicle shortly afterward and was fired on by Chevie Kehoe, authorities said.
The case against the Kehoe brothers, said to espouse some anti-government and militia philosophies, prompted authorities to boost courthouse security, Sheriff Ralph Fizer said.
A metal detector was installed last week, and officers on day duty doubled from four to eight.
Previous stories
SHOOTOUT SUSPECT RETURNED TO WILMINGTON July 17, 1997
SHOOTOUT SUSPECT DENIES VIOLENT IMAGE June 21, 1997
CHEYNE TURNED IN CHEVIE June 20, 1997
KEHOES' HIDEOUT WELL-ARMED June 19, 1997
SECOND BROTHER CAPTURED June 18, 1997
SHOOTOUT SUSPECT SURRENDERS June 17, 1997
$60,000 OFFERED FOR TIP ON KEHOES March 22, 1997
PICTURES OF KEHOE FOUND IN STOLEN VAN March 6, 1997
MATERIAL FROM BOMB FOUND IN CAMPER March 5, 1997
FUGITIVES CAMPER FOUND IN WYOMING March 2, 1997
PAIR LINKED TO GUN TRADE March 1, 1997
GUNMEN CARRIED POLICE GEAR IN VAN Feb. 28, 1997
CHEVIE KEHOE INDICTED ON FEDERAL CHARGES Feb. 26, 1997
CALLS GIVE TIPS ON FUGITIVES Feb. 25, 1997
WILMINGTON SHOOTOUT NOW FBI CONCERN Feb. 22, 1997
BROTHERS INDICTED, SOUGHT IN SHOOTOUTS Feb. 21, 1997
TWO GUNMEN TRACKED TO CAMPGROUND Feb. 20, 1997
INVESTIGATORS, SUPREMACISTS APPEAL TO PUBLIC Feb. 19, 1997
FBI JOINS HUNT FOR GUNMEN Feb. 18, 1997
SHOOTOUT MAY BE LINKED TO KILLINGS Feb. 17, 1997
