Four Wisconsin residents indicted in Georgia for alleged violent attacks on future law enforcement training site

Listen to this article

Published 9:23 a.m. CST on September 6, 2023. Last updated 8:16 p.m. CST on September 6, 2023

Four Wisconsinites are among 61 others who have been indicted in Georgia for violence that occurred at a future Georgia law enforcement training site, according to copy of the indictment obtained by The Wisconsin Law Journal.

Grace Martin and Kayley Meissner of Madison, Arieon Robinson of Milwaukee and Tyler Norman of Blue Mountain, Wis. were all named in the Georgia indictment.

“On or about March 5, 2023, Kayley Meissner did join an organized mob of individuals designed to overwhelm the police force in an attempt to occupy the DeKalb forest and cause property damage. This is an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy,” the indictment states.

“On or about March 5, 2023, Grace Martin did join an organized mob and succeeded in overwhelming the police force, thereby aiding and abetting in the offense of Arson and Domestic Terrorism in an attempt to occupy the DeKalb forest and prevent the building of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. This is an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy, ” the indictment noted.

“Arieon Robinson did attempt to occupy the forest thereby attempting to prevent police presence. This is an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy … Robinson did attempt to occupy the forest and prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. This is an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy,” the indictment added.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Tuesday the indictment of 61 people in Fulton County following a multi-agency investigation into the violence that has occurred at the site of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center and other locations.

All 61 defendants have been charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Several of the defendants are also facing separate charges of Domestic Terrorism, Attempted Arson in the First Degree, and Money Laundering, Carr said.

During a telephone interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal on Wednesday evening, Milwaukee County Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said to date, no referrals have been made to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office as a result of this case.

According to Lovern, out-of-state defendants may return to Georgia voluntarily, or interstate warrants may be issued and the extrdition process would then commence.

According to the indictment, In April of 2021, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the lease of 381 acres in DeKalb County, Georgia from the Atlanta Police Foundation for the purpose of building police training facility. On September 7, 2021, the Atlanta City Council approved the lease by 10-4 vote during an open meeting and after public discussion. The land will be used for the development of an 85 acre police/fire training facility that would be built on part of the grounds.

Back in December of 2022, Arieon Robinson of Milwaukee was one of five arrested for Criminal Trespass, Obstruction, and Domestic Terrorism, officials from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. The five defendants were charged with domestic terrorism and other charges after a joint operation at the site of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. The GBI is part of a joint task force formed to combat ongoing criminal activity at the Atlanta Police Department (APD) site.

As alleged in the indictment, the defendants are members of Defend the Atlanta Forest, an anarchist, anti-police, and anti-business extremist organization.

“The Defend the Atlanta Forest organization has acknowledged that they embrace this extremist ideology. This is demonstrated by the group’s justification of shooting Georgia State Trooper,” the indictment states.

Carr said they are alleged to have conspired together to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center by conducting, coordinating, and organizing acts of violence, intimidation, and property destruction in Fulton County, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and other states.

According to Georgia officials, of the 61 defendants who have been indicted, only 13 are from Georgia.

“As this indictment shows, looking the other way when violence occurs is not an option in Georgia,” said Carr.

“If you come to our state and shoot a police officer, throw Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, set fire to police vehicles, damage construction equipment, vandalize private homes and businesses, and terrorize their occupants, you can and will be held accountable. We will not waver when it comes to keeping people safe, enforcing the rule of law, and ensuring those who engage in criminal activity are vigorously pursued and aggressively prosecuted,” Carr added.

This investigation was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) in partnership with the Atlanta Police Department (APD), the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS), the DeKalb County Police Department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The criminal acts of those named in this indictment have placed public safety personnel and members of the community in danger,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey.

“This major step is a testament to the GBI’s commitment to protecting the citizens of Georgia. We will continue to work with the Georgia Attorney General’s Office and our local and federal partners to hold any person who seeks to harm the lives of others accountable,” Hosey said.

Named Defendants

The Attorney General’s Prosecution Division presented evidence to a Fulton County Grand Jury, resulting in the indictment* of the following 61 defendants on Aug. 29, 2023.

• Jack Morgan Beamon, 22, of Athena, Georgia
• Max Jacob Biederman, 25, of Tempe, Arizona
• Timothy E. Bilodeau, 26, of Boston, Massachusetts
• Emma Katherine Bogush, 25, of Bethany, Connecticut
• Andrew Darnell Carlisle, 32, of Decatur, Georgia
• Francis M. Carroll, 23, of Kennebunkport, Maine
• Amin Jalal Chaoui, 29, of Richmond, Virginia
• Brooke Elaine Courtemanche, 27, of Wooster, Ohio
• Colin Patrick Dorsey, 42, of Blue Hill, Massachusetts
• Julia Caroline DuPuis, 24, of Atlanta, Georgia
• Ariel Caitlin Ebaugh, 22, of Locust Grove, Georgia
• Lillian Pearl Ellis, 30
• Madeleine Feola, 22, of Oberlin, Ohio
• Ivan James Ferguson, 23, of Henderson, Nevada
• Phillip Allen Flagg, 29, of Worchester, Massachusetts
• Maggie June Gates, 25, of Bloomington, Indiana
• Nadja Geier, 24, of Nashville, Tennessee
• Priscilla Christine Grim, 49
• Sonali Gupta, 32
• Luke Edward Harper, 27, of Lake Worth, Florida
• Serena Abby Hertel, 26, of Los Angeles, California
• Marianna Elizabeth Hoitt-Lange, 25, of New York
• Thomas Webb Jergens, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia
• Hannah Margaret Kass, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Marlon Scott Kautz, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia
• Ayla Elegia King, 19, of Worchester, Massachusetts
• Katie Marie Kloth, 36, of Schofield, Pennsylvania
• Madeleine Gunther Kodat, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Zoe C. Larmey, 26, of Nashville, Tennessee
• Ana Gypsy Lee, 39, of Gainesville, Georgia
• Dimitri Roger LeNy, 25, of France
• Spencer Bernard Liberto, 30, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Mattia Luini, 31, of New York, New York
• Matthew Ernest Macar, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Adele Garrett MacLean, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia
• James Lee Marsicano, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina
• Grace Taylor Martin, 23, of Madison, Wisconsin
• Kayley Cheryl Meissner, 20, of Madison, Wisconsin
• Emily Murphy, 37, of Berkley, Michigan
• Timothy A.R. Murphy, 26, of Rockport, Maine
• Tyler John Norman, 39, of Blue Mountain, Wisconsin
• Leif Kingfisher Nicholas Novak, 31, of Tucson, Arizona
• Ehret William Nottingham, 22, of Fort Collins, Colorado
• Nicholas Dean Olson, 26, of Bennington, Nebraska
• Alexis Achilles Papali, 49, of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
• Geoffrey Parsons, 21, of Baltimore, Maryland
• Savannah D. Patterson, 30, of Atlanta, Georgia
• Kamryn Durel Pipes, 27, of Baton Rouge, Lousiana
• Victor Enrique Puertas, 46, of Provo, Utah
• Christopher Reynolds, 32, of Ohio
• Fredrique Robert-Paul, 35, of St. Pascal, Canada
• Arieon T. Robinson, 22, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Teresa Yue Shen, 32, of New York, New York
• Abigail Elizabeth Skapyak, 24, of Savage, Minnesota
• Caroline Hart Tennenbaum, 36, of Atlanta, Georgia
• Geneva Rose Tilbury, 25, of Kansas City, Missouri
• Abeeku Osei Vassail, 23, of Atlanta, Georgia
• Leonard Zen AKA Leonardo Zen Voiselle, 21, of Macon, Georgia
• Samuel Clemens Ward, 26, of Mesa, Arizona
• William Budden Warren, 31, of Decatur, Georgia
• Sarah Wasalewski, 35, of Pennsylvania

Racketeering

The indictment lists 225 incidents in which the defendants are alleged to have worked together to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

These alleged incidents include, but are not limited to, the following:

• On July 5, 2020, members of the group attacked DPS headquarters by throwing rocks and hurling a Molotov cocktail through the window, resulting in the injury of two employees and the building catching fire;
• On May 17, 2022, defendants threw Molotov cocktails and glass bottles at police officers;
• On Dec. 13, 2022, defendants threw fireworks at firefighters and EMTs, damaged an APD vehicle, and cut the safety rope of an arborist working in one of the trees on the site;
• On multiple occasions, members of the group torched and caused other damage to buildings and construction equipment, including excavators and bulldozers, owned by contractors associated with the project and then claimed responsibility for the destruction;
• Members of the group used the Scenes Blog to call for a “Night of Rage” to occur on Jan. 21, 2023, during which defendants committed arson and property damage and attempted to break into 191 Peachtree, where the offices of the Atlanta Police Foundation and other businesses are located;
• On March 5, 2023, a member of the group punched a police officer and an organized mob attacked other law enforcement who were guarding the site and the crowd proceeded to set construction vehicles on fire;
• On July 3, 2022, at least one member of the group vandalized historic Ebenezer Baptist Church;
• On multiple occasions, members of the group harassed and intimidated law enforcement, including traveling to the home of a State Trooper; and
• On multiple occasions, members of the group harassed and intimidated contractors and construction workers for their roles in the project, including trespassing on and destroying their property in Georgia, Florida, New York, Oregon, Michigan, and Minnesota.

Domestic Terrorism and Other Charges

The following defendants have also been charged with one count of Domestic Terrorism for allegedly attempting to commit the offense of Arson in the First Degree with the intent to destroy and disable critical infrastructure, including APD vehicles, a bank, and 191 Peachtree Street tower, to intimidate the City of Atlanta on Jan. 21, 2023.

• Nadja Geier
• Madeleine Feola
• Emily Murphy
• Francis Carroll
• Ivan Ferguson

The following defendants have also been charged with one count of Attempted Arson in the First Degree for allegedly traveling to the City of Atlanta during a “Night of Rage,” possessing accelerant and a lighter, and attempting to break into the 191 Peachtree Street tower on Jan. 21, 2023.

• Nadja Geier
• Madeleine Feola
• Emily Murphy
• Francis Carroll
• Ivan Ferguson

The following defendants have also been charged with 15 counts of Money Laundering for allegedly conducting financial transactions with the intent to promote Criminal Trespassing, while knowing that the moneys involved in said transaction represent the proceeds of Charity Fraud, from Jan. 10, 2022, through March 11, 2022.

• Marlon Kautz
• Adele Maclean
• Savannah Patterson

This story has been updated.