3 Men Accused In Whitmer Plot To Be Held Without Bond

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Three men accused in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will remain in jailed without bond.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Berens denied the three men — 26-year-old Kaleb Franks of Waterford; 23-year-old Daniel Harris of Lake Orion; and 32-year-old Brandon Caserta of Canton Township — bond Tuesday during a detention hearing in Grand Rapids, according to The Associated Press.

The three men in court Tuesday had various roles in the plot, ranging from tactical firearms training to spying on the governor's private vacation home, according to court documents.

Harris, according to federal charging documents, at one point suggested to others that they "just cap her," referring to Whitmer.

Two other men accused of plotting against Whitmer will learn if they will remain behind bars on Friday.

FBI agents involved in the investigation into the men accused in the plot against Whitmer testified during the hearing Tuesday, releasing new details in the case.

The men accused in a plot to kidnap Whitmer also discussed "taking out" Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, according to testimony provided by an FBI agent Tuesday.

Richard Trask, a special agent with the FBI, said Northam, a Democrat, had also been discussed by a group of men accused of plotting to kidnap and potentially murder Whitmer, the Associated Press reported.

Ten other people are accused in the plot. They are Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Paul Bellar, Shawn Fix, Eric Molitor, William Null and Michael Null, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico.

The investigation involved people from across Michigan, including Belleville, Cadillac, Canton, Charlotte, Clarkston, Grand Rapids, Luther, Munith, Orion Township, Ovid, Portage, Shelby Township and Waterford, officials said previously .

Federal authorities became aware of the conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer in early 2020 through social media, according to the records. The group called itself the "Wolverine Watchmen."

The group met over the course of months in remote areas of Michigan where they trained with guns and performed "tactical drills," according to the documents.

Plans to kidnap the governor included a "snatch and grab" while she was arriving at or leaving her private vacation home or even taking "200 men" and storming the Capitol building, taking hostages.

Information and reporting from The Associated Press contributed to this report.