Davis Mountain Resort hostage crisis

Hostage crisis in Texas in 1997

Part of Texas secession movements

Date

April 27, 1997 (1997-04-27) – May 4, 1997 (1997-05-04) (UTC-5)

Location

Davis Mountain Resort, Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States

Goals

Texas independence and recognition of Independence
Release of Jo Ann Turner
Property rights for property in the Davis Mountains Resort as their headquarters

Parties

Republic of Texas (McLaren Faction)

United States federal government

Lead figures

Richard McLaren

George W. Bush

Number

c.5–30 members (unclear)

Dozens of law enforcement officers

Casualties and losses

1 person killed (Mike Matson)

None

The Davis Mountain Resort hostage crisis was a hostage crisis and standoff between the McLaren Faction of the Republic of Texas group and the US federal government from April 27, 1997 to May 4, 1997, when members of the Republic of Texas-McLaren Faction kidnapped Joe and Margaret Ann Rowe and held them hostage at the Davis Mountain Resort and demanded the release of a member of the group, Jo Ann Turner in exchange for the Rowes, eventually saying his nation was "at war with the United States government." One of the members ended up being shot in a firefight with authorities.

Timeline

On April 27, 1997, members of the McLaren Faction abducted Joe and Margaret Ann Rowe from their home at the Davis Mountain Resort, a remote community in the Davis Mountains. The faction demanded the release of Jo Ann Turner, who was jailed on charges related to the group's activities, as a condition for freeing the Rowes. Richard McLaren declared that his "nation" was at war with the United States government.

For several days, negotiations continued with little progress. The McLaren Faction remained defiant, fortified within the resort, and heavily armed. On May 3, the situation escalated when a firefight broke out between the group and law enforcement. The militants with the troopers in hot pursuit fired at a Black Hawk helicopter and searching dogs in the Davis Mountains; while one of the Republic of Texas members, Mike Matson, was shot and killed during the exchange, and one militant was also killed.

Resolution

The standoff concluded on May 4, 1997, when the remaining members of the McLaren Faction, facing overwhelming force and dwindling supplies, agreed to surrender. The hostages, Joe and Margaret Ann Rowe, were released unharmed. Richard McLaren and other faction members were taken into custody and subsequently faced numerous charges, including kidnapping and aggravated assault.

References

McLaren v. US INC., vol. 2, April 30, 1998, p. 48, retrieved 2024-06-18
^ "Texas Separatists Call For Help – Chicago Tribune". 2010-08-23. Archived from the original on 2010-08-23. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
"New book digs into what happened during deadly Texas secessionist standoff 27 years ago". Texas Standard. 2024-04-30. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
"Home invasion: how one man experienced the 1997 Republic of Texas standoff". Texas Standard. 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
Nieman, Robert (June 2007). "Captain Barry Caver on the Republic of Texas Standoff" (PDF). Texas Ranger Dispatch. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
"CNN – Texas separatist leader to surrender, TV station reports – Apr. 30, 1997". www.cnn.com. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
Services, Tribune News (May 6, 1997). "SECESSIONIST SHOT TO DEATH AFTER FIRING AT TEXAS POLICE HELICOPTER". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
Verhovek, Sam Howe (1997-05-06). "One Texas Secessionist Who Fled Into Mountains Is Killed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-18.

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Categories:

Timeline

Resolution

See also

References