Phoenix man suspected of shooting up Dem party office pleads not guilty
A man suspected of shooting at a Democratic Party office in Tempe three times over nearly three weeks and posting bags of white powder labeled as "poison" near political signs pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday morning in Maricopa County Superior Court.
It was Jeffrey Michael Kelly's first court hearing since being twice-indicted by a grand jury on numerous felony charges that included the following:
One count of terrorism, a Class 2 felony.
Four counts of unlawful use of an infectious biological substance or radiological agent, a Class 2 felony.
Three counts of discharge of a firearm at a structure, a Class 3 felony.
Three counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm, a Class 6 Felony.
One count of criminal damage, a Class 5 felony.
Kelly has been held in jail since Oct. 23 where he is being held on two $500,000 cash-only bonds meaning he would have to post $1 million cash to bond out. Kelly's attorney has said he plans to seek a lower bond for his client.
Kelly's next court date was set for Dec. 18.
Feds seized large arsenal from Kelly's home
Federal agents seized roughly 120 firearms including "machine guns" and a grenade launcher out of Kelly's home on the morning of Oct. 23 along with roughly 250,000 rounds of ammunition, according to court documents.
A Republic reporter overheard mention of handguns being found in a master bathroom safe and the words "machine gun" and "silencers."
A prosecutor said during Kelly's initial appearance that officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also recovered numerous silencers and scopes for various levels of distance including long-range and body armor. The prosecutor added that some of the guns in Kelly's home were loaded.
The weapons were placed in a moving van and hauled away.
Kelly's attorney, Jason Squires, has described his client as a "sportsman" who participates in various firearm competitions.
"Yes, for some people 120 firearms sounds creepy," Squires said during a previous court hearing. "To people who compete and engage in the sportsman's realm, this is not that inappropriate."
Police search shows makeshift sign workshop
That search also revealed a makeshift sign workshop in the back patio of Kelly's home, according to an additional court document filed. Authorities found a table with what was described in the document as "sign making materials" such as glue guns, cans of spray paint, glitter and a random assortment of compact discs.
Some of the sign factory remained in Kelly's backyard during the search of his home. An Arizona Republic reporter saw what appeared to be a homemade sign with the words: "Legalize murder" and "Yes on 139."
Proposition 139, on the November ballot, would enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution.
The colors, font and typography were a crude approximation of the signs posted by the campaign advocating for the proposition's passage. An official "Yes on 139" sign was seen in Kelly's backyard near the homemade one.
In Kelly's bedroom, authorities found notebooks that had slogans that would appear on signs Kelly would later make, along with notes about where they would be located, the court filing said. Notations next to some slogans said "razor" or "powder," according to the document. Prosecutors cited Kelly's posting of the signs as an escalation of political violence and said investigators believed he was "preparing to commit an act of mass casualty."
