Basswood Arrests?

[Surface Tension]

Pretty easy to say what you'd do when you know the outcome already or just not in the situation but hear it goes.

Defending yourself by shooting someone should be last resort. I'd do all I can to avoid the situation. In this case hearing shots and verbal threats it be immediate lights out. If we have enough time to get a head start into the woods then we'd all calmly go together far far away. If there isn't time then I'd hide the family in the woods behind cover keeping myself between them and the threat. I also would know where that threat is at all times but be behind cover and hidden. I do this because I'm not willing to give up my advantage of cover over a boat in the water and lack of head start in case these guys decided to come ashore. Once we flee to the woods I loose all that advantage and its six against myself.

As it turns out the threat passed onto the next campsite down the lake and we're out of eminent danger. I'd then gather food, water, GPS, phone, clothing and head far inland with the family. Knowing Basswood and that the West end has cell coverage I'd not come out till I knew they were caught.

What if they didn't go on their way and continued toward shore with intension's of harm? Well I'd be wishing I had my shotgun with 00 Buck instead of a handgun because I know how well I'd shoot in that circumstance. I still have the huge advantage of cover. At this point it be tempting to warn the threat that I have a gun and will use it. That would be foolish to give away your position. The gunshots and verbal threats were already made by them and then their approach to you and your family. Don't let their boat come ashore without fighting for your life and your family's.

[Hogzilla]

Two things about this incident:

If I were at one of the campsites, unarmed, I would have run for cover. And secondly, I would be all over the prosecutor to make sure these guy’s would be facing the same charges as any drug/alcohol drive by shooter.

[Wanderer]

I didn't want to come off as a lecturer. I just wanted to make mention that there are other options when I started reading some of the posts about "Boy they're lucky they didn't mess with me cuz I would've ....."

I wasn't trained in the military and don't know any special forces tactics. But I do keep protection available for the purpose we are discussing. And I practice.

My mind changed about my invicibility after playing paintball for a few years. That might sound stupid, but in a "safe" firefight with others you find out how much you can miss and how much others can hit. Half the time the one that gets you is a total suprise.

I wouldn't plead with anybody either. I would just prefer it if they couldn't find me. But you bet I would be between them and my family and friends.

My intent was to raise a serious point to think about because I would hate to ever read a post on FM saying Gunflint, ST, Catfish, Justin, GO, any of you FMers out there were hurt or killed in a confrontation that could have been avoided.

You guys are probably more capable than most, but why push it?

Well this is more than I wanted to say anyway. I was just hoping we weren't going to go down that road of rallying a kick butt attitude as the best option for everybody.

Take care. I'm going go back to thinking about fishing too.

[SFBOY]

i agree with everything said. i wish everyone of those %#$^%$^% that do this kind of crap could be shot dead, but unfortunately that usually isnt the case. in a fair fight, there are not too many people that i couldnt defend myself fairly well against, but when i have my family with me, they are all i care about and if running and hiding or walking away to protect your family is cowardly, then i am as yellow as it gets. it is just amazing to me that people can be such donkeys.

three years ago, we were anchored on a lake near orr when a 20 foot red lund came in full speed; they were within 30 feet of us before they veered off. they saw us the whole time. my buddy and i were on the edge of the boat ready to jump and not knowing which way to jump. it was three guys about 18 years old that thought they were funny. unfortunately, and fortunately for them we didnt find them. i swear, my buddy and i would have beat the tar out of them for that one. why cant people just quit being pri_ _ s and leave everyone else alone.

[wippersnpr]

My wife and I were out on Basswood on August fifth and might have seen these guys at a campsite we passed. There were quite a few guys at a campsite on Basswood and I couldn't see from afar if they were forest service workers or not but there was a chainsaw running in the site and I could here someone chopping wood. I thought maybe they were doing some rehab at the campsite and had gotten a permit to use a chainsaw for the work. Since the organization I work for has worked with the forest service in the past I thought I would go and see if I knew anyone. The closer we got to the site I could tell they were not federal employees at all. There was a radio blasting Tom Petty across the calm lake and these guys were putting up enough wood to stay for months. they obviously had no respect for the place they were or the people they were around. I never heard gunfire but I did hear the dynamite or mortors or whatever. We were camped on Hansons island on the border of Canada probably five miles from the site we saw the guys at and the blast sounded like it a howitzer round from camp rippley. We heard another round go off just after sundown while camped on the Basswood river the night of the sixth. The trip was made even worse by a stop at a campsite in the motorized area where the people who used it before us had defacated all over the open ground leaving piles of tiolet papernext to there unhumanly large piles of dung. My 6 month old puppy went from pile to pile doing exactly what I did not want him to do. Sometimes I just don't understand what goes through people's head's when they do something like this. These incedents by no means ruined our trip and the fishing/weather was the best I have ever experienced in the BWCA. I am not sure if I will try to go there in the middle of the summer again just because the feel was so different when there were so many people out there but this experience will definitly not stop me or my wife and puppy from going back and enjoying the place we love. I am glad to see these guys get caught and I am very thankfull they did not say anything to us as we paddled quietly past there little red neck paradise. My wife and i were very shocked to see this story in the paper when we returned from our trip. Just to put my two cents in on what will happen to these guys legally, I think they will recieve a very hard slap on the wrist but they will not recieve due punishment. The debate over the wilderness areas in our state will never end but I hope someday the people on the extreme ends of the spectrum from "greeny's" to "hillbillies" will become less and less and the people somewhere in the middle will get there chance to just enjoy the beautiful lake country without controversy.

[ITSATHRILL]

I just hope that the local people\businesses step up if and when this goes to trial and the people voice there opinion on how harmfull these peoples actions can\have been to the livelyhood of that area. I would be willing to wager that all of the people that had contact with these (Contact Us Please) will most likely not venture that way anytime soon and you know how the old "telephone" game works when they start telling the experience to there friends and family.

These people should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

[Great Outdoors]

wippersnpr

I believe the night in question was August 7th.

I also understand that the three that allegedly did the shooting, etc. didn't leave Ely until after 6 pm that night, a spur of the moment thing.

With this said, you must have seen a different crew.

[Big Tom]

Have formal charges been made? It's more than three weeks ago. Sad deal if nothing happens here.

[Surface Tension]

Charges possible this week in Basswood Lake incident

Duluth News Tribune

Published Sunday, August 26, 2007

Lake County Attorney Russ Conrow said Thursday he expects to receive the investigation against suspects in the Basswood Lake shooting case this week from law enforcement officers. He said charges could be filed late this week or early next week.

Six suspects in motorboats were intercepted at the Fall Lake boat landing early Aug. 8 after campers on Basswood Lake used cell phones to report being threatened by gunfire and verbally threatened by a group of men in boats. Two men were arrested and later released. Those men, and up to four other suspects, all from Ely, are expected to be charged in the incident.

One man arrested in the case was charged in 2000 and 2004 with illegally riding a snowmobile in the BWCAW and has previous alcohol-related convictions.

The Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the case because the men are believed to have entered Canada illegally with firearms. Federal charges also are expected for Forest Service and possibly border crossing violations.

The News Tribune generally does not name suspects until they have been formally charged in court.

“The investigation is continuing on several levels, state, federal and county,’’ said Kris Reichenbach, Superior National Forest spokeswoman, on Friday. “The Ely community has been very supportive of the investigation. People are coming forward to volunteer information to help.’’

[SkunkedAgain]

Hearing all of this, it seems as though they will get more than a slap on the wrist. To have several levels of government (including Federal charges) assembling a case, it seems as though it is taking a while because they are looking to throw the book at them. The fact that at least one of these guys is a repeat offender, to me means that they shouldn't get off.

[jimmy4218]

Man do these guys deserve the whole treatment and I hope they get it too. To me there is nothing worse than trying to enjoy a great vacation like in the BWCA and have jerks like this ruin it like they did. Hopefully this will send a message to the rest of the fools like this out there that this sort of thing will not be tollerated.

[Big Tom]

Thanks for the article ST. The who and the where really don't matter so much to me. It's the what that chaps my hide. Drinking, shooting and driving boats are all mutually exclusive. Terrorizing others is simply unacceptable anywhere at anytime. I'm hoping this is a very painful and overdue lesson for them.

[Great Outdoors]

ITSATHRILL and others,

I realize that public sentiment and outrage are fueling some heated response, but let us not lose sight of common sense and reason.

The individuals have not been charged with anything yet.

They will be tried in a court of law, when and if charged.

The business/personal opinion of anyone in the Ely area is meaningless.

These individuals will not, and should not, be tried and convicted in a court of public opinion, and a phone call poll conviction, should not ever happen!!

Let the legal process work.

[bwtrout]

Quote:

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One man arrested in the case was charged in 2000 and 2004 with illegally riding a snowmobile in the BWCAW and has previous alcohol-related convictions.

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Quote:

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Let the legal process work.

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[Great Outdoors]

Taking a ride on a snowmobile in the BWCA doesn't do anything or anyone any harm, though it is breaking the law.

The latest incident crosses the line and should not be compared to past offenses.

This one is very serious, far more than the others, and the legal system will be far harsher than it previously was. (IMO)

[bwtrout]

Having lived in Ely for 8 years during my "social" years, I'm well aware of the unnamed character and this doesn't surprise me one bit.

[83walleye]

Great Outdoors, no kidding they'll be tried.

[note from admin: please see forum rules before posting again. Thank you.]

[Great Outdoors]

83walleye

Don't know exactly what your launching on me for, as I am not defending what these two did.

The post was merely to get some (like yourself)to settle down, quit second guessing what happened, and let the law enforcement agencies do their jobs.

Nothing more than that, don't try to read anything into it, so save the name calling.

Sounds like you have a real attitude problem, get rid of it.

[Steve Foss]

Some good debate here until the name calling started up.