He Fled the Feds in 2011. He Was Just Found 'Squatting'

Michael Duane Strain, busted on Native American reservation in Montana, was on most wanted list
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 8, 2019 8:47 AM CDT
Fugitive Who Hid From Feds for 8 Years Finally Busted
Michael Duane Strain.   (ATF)

They thought he was hiding in Minnesota, but they nabbed him in Montana. USA Today reports 62-year-old Michael Duane Strain, one of the 15 most wanted fugitives on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' list, was busted last week by US Marshals Service deputies on a Native American reservation where he'd been "squatting" for years, per an ATF affidavit. Authorities say the Iowa man had been on the run since 2011, when he was indicted on charges of possessing a firearm as a felon after federal agents raided his home and found multiple firearms and a hefty stash of ammo. Deputies were clued in to his location last week at the Crow Reservation in south-central Montana via a phone tip, says Chief Deputy US Marshal Timothy Hornung.

Per the ATF website, Strain, who was deemed "armed and dangerous," has been previously convicted for possession of an explosive device and flight from law enforcement; prosecutors say his past also includes trespassing, contempt of court, and obstruction. Strain is said to consider himself a "sovereign citizen," meaning he doesn't think the US government or law enforcement has any jurisdiction over him—and he told deputies as much when they arrested him. He's been ordered by a Montana magistrate judge to return to Iowa to face charges. (Strain tried to stay under the radar—unlike this fugitive, who trolled for likes on Facebook.)

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