Ronald G. Cole is a figure in the

American militia movement The American militia movement is a term used by law enforcement and security analysts to refer to a number of private organizations that include paramilitary or similar elements. These groups may refer to themselves as militia, unorganized mili ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. He was the founder and leader of the Colorado Light Infantry

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non- professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

groups in 1993. Cole is the author of the book ''Sinister Twilight'', in which he attempts to explain the

Branch Davidian The Branch Davidians (or the General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists) were an apocalyptic new religious movement founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They regard themselves as a continuation of the General Association of ...

side of the standoff with federal authorities that took place in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the List ...

in 1993. Cole became a national anti-government figure after the events of the

Waco siege The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the law enforcement siege of the compound that belonged to the religious sect Branch Davidians. It was carried out by the U.S. federal government, Texas state law enforcement, and the U.S ...

. In 1994, he met with the notorious domestic terrorist

Timothy McVeigh Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) was an American domestic terrorist responsible for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children, injured more than 680 others, and destroyed one-third ...

prior to the

Oklahoma City bombing The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995. Perpetrated by two anti-government extremists, Timothy McVeigh and Ter ...

In 1997 at McVeigh's trial, Cole handed out leaflets demanding fair treatment for McVeigh, as well as news releases for the North American Liberation Army. He also spoke to the media about alleged harassment of paramilitary group members by law enforcement. Also in 1994, Cole was involved in an incident at the site of the destroyed Branch Davidian compound in Waco. A standoff occurred between self-proclaimed leaders of the remnants of the sect over who had control of the property. Cole and another Branch Davidian, Wally Kennett, were accompanying Andrew Hood, a man who had been supportive of the Branch Davidians, to the property. Their party was fired upon by

Amo Bishop Roden George Buchanan Roden (January 17, 1938 – December 8, 1998) was an American leader of the Branch Davidian sect, a Seventh-day Adventist splinter group. In 1987, he was evicted from the Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas, by his rival David K ...

, the wife of former Davidian leader

George Roden George Buchanan Roden (January 17, 1938 – December 8, 1998) was an American leader of the Branch Davidian sect, a Seventh-day Adventist splinter group. In 1987, he was evicted from the Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas, by his rival David Kor ...

who lived in a shack on the site. Roden was charged with felony deadly conduct, and Kennett and Cole were charged with misdemeanor weapons violations. In 1997 Cole and three other militia members were arrested by federal agents and local officers in response to a warrant alleging they possessed machine guns in their house in

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. In 1998 Cole pleaded guilty in a plea bargain to four federal counts of illegally possessing unregistered firearms."Militia leader pleads guilty to federal counts" Peter G. Chronis ''Denver Post'' January 27, 1998 In response Cole said "They're trying to make me look like a terrorist because I criticize the federal government publicly." Lee Hill, a defense attorney who represented the

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in ...

icon

Leonard Peltier Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is a Native American activist and militant member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who, following a controversial trial, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two Fed ...

, said "They made an example of him. He's an idealist who has annoyed the wrong people.""Annoying the wrong people" Edited by Alex Heard ''New York Times Magazine'' New York Times June 1, 1997 Cole was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and was released in May 1999. Cole currently lives in

Zanesville, Ohio Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capital ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Ron Living people People from Pueblo, Colorado People from Aurora, Colorado Year of birth missing (living people)