Man Sought for Questioning In Connection With Threats on President's Life "Located"

I just called the Secret Service to get additional information about Lawrence Ward:

U.S. law enforcement officials have been unable to locate an upstate New York man wanted for questioning regarding threats to President Bush.

Lawrence Ward, 49, left his Bainbridge home in central New York on Sept. 9. A photo of Mr. Bush along with the written words "Dead Man" were found in his house.

Mr. Ward has emptied his bank accounts and canceled his credit cards, said national security officials close to the case. Those actions were seen as measures to prevent authorities from tracking or finding Mr. Ward, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Secret Service has issued a nationwide alert for information on Mr. Ward, who left his house with a hunting rifle and told a neighbor he was leaving and would not return, officials said.

It turns out he's now been "located," in the Agent's words. He wouldn't say where or when. Or by who, but I didn't think to ask him that.

You know, these guys are really suspicious. I could feel everyone I talked to sizing me up as some sort of would-be accomplice trying to find out what the Secret Service knows.

And I have to say, when you're on the phone with the Secret Service, you get kinda nervous. This guy asked me "And you want to know about this for what purpose exactly?" in that cop-like manner and I swear I almost yelled "Five-oh, five-oh!" and ducked out the fire escape.

At any rate, it looks like the Be On the Look Out can be safely cancelled.

Update: It looks like the Washinton Times, and I, were both behind this story. Ward has already been interviewed by the Secret Service-- as of last week.

I found this article in a forum linking to this site. I don't know its original provenance, as no link was provided.

Bainbridge Man Denies Threatening Bush

Kyle Clark

Sep 26, 2004, 22:29

Larry Ward, the Bainbridge man who was the subject of a nationwide manhunt by the Secret Service says he never threatened President Bush's life. Ward came under suspicion after police found threats inside his North Main Street home. They consisted of a picture of President Bush with the words "Dead Man" spraypainted over the top.

Neighbors say Ward left town 2 weeks ago, stashing a rifle in his Toyota and driving out of Bainbridge. We pick up the Larry Ward story close to three thousand miles away. Action News spoke with Ward by phone, from the home of a friend near Olympia, Washington. Larry Ward says he wasn't running, "I have a lot of adverse circumstances i New York and I just had to walk away from them for a little bit."

Following Ward cross country were Secret Service agents worried that he might be a threat to President Bush and Senator John Kerry. Ward says he never targeted the candidates, "Absolutely false. I'd like to give them a good kick in the rear but I have no intention of murdering anyone, never have. I wouldn't know how."

The Secret Service thought otherwise. An agent caught up with Ward last Thursday in Washington State.

"He said 'Can I look at your car, can I look at your gun. Why are you reading those books?'" said Ward.

Books like American Terrorist, about Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. A book that is far less sympathetic to McVeigh than Ward is, "I would, on a jury, probably find him guilty, but I think his motives and his thought process was honorable."

Ward went so far as to call McVeigh an American hero on this CD Ward made in his Bainbridge home. But what about the threat inside the home?

Ward told Action News, "On one of my walls, I have this political statement about Bush and a few months ago I was a victim of arson at my residence and vandalism. Someone spraypainted "Dead Man" over that."

Ward says he told his story to the Secret Service and has been cleared, "They said that they have no cause to be involved upon inquiry to me but they haven't said it publically, so I still have this lynch mob saying that I'm a wife beater and a president-murderer and god knows what."

Ward says he plans to stay on the West Coast for now, and he's not sure if he'll ever return to his home in Bainbridge. Action News asked the Secret Service to confirm that they interviewed Ward. A spokesman says they can't comment on an ongoing investigation. On Wednesday of last week, a New York City TV station reported the warrant for Ward's arrest has been dropped, and the Secret Service believes vandals may be behind the writing on the wall.

Sorry for the "Exclusive" stuff. I don't know what the story is now. The Washington Times just reported he's "disappeared" but this article from a day earlier seems to indicate everyone knows where he is.

posted by Ace at 04:47 PM

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