SUSPECT TOLD LOCATION
But after shootout, cops waited too long to act on it

By Tom Beyerlein
DAYTON DAILY NEWS   When he was stopped near Wilmington last Saturday, the driver of a 1977Chevrolet Suburban told the Ohio Highway Patrol trooper, "I'm working down inChillicothe right now at a campgrounds, Lake Hill campgrounds."
   A few minutes later, the man and his passenger exchanged gunfire withpolice.
   The traffic stop, including the statement about the campgrounds, wascaptured on videotape Saturday by a camera in the trooper's cruiser.
   Yet the patrol didn't notify the Ross County sheriff's office until Tuesdaymorning that the men might be at the campgrounds. By that time, they weregone.
  Ross County Sheriff Ronald Nichols said Friday that members of the campingparty were seen Sunday at Lake Hill campgrounds near Frankfort, and theirrecreational vehicle didn't leave the campgrounds until between midnight and 5a.m. Monday. The suspects remained at large Friday.
   Nichols said he doesn't understand stand why the patrol didn't search thecampgrounds before Tuesday. "Where the breakdown comes in, I don't know," hesaid. Sgt. John Born, a spokesman for the patrol, said he couldn't commentbecause the investigation is in progress. But he added, "I guess I would sayyou can't make the assumption that the men returned to the campgrounds afterthe shooting."
   Nichols countered that someone had to return to the campgrounds. The RV"didn't drive itself" away Monday morning, he said Born said the patrol will be able to explain its investigatory processafter the men, identified as Spokane, Wash., white supremacists Chevie andCheyne Kehoe, are captured. "If you'd like to critique the investigation orthe trail, you can after they're arrested," he said.
   The FBI on Friday said the Kehoe brothers, believed to be traveling withtwo women and four small children, were last known to be driving a 1977 DodgeExecutive motor home, white with green trim, with Montana license plate number56-8864B. The vehicle is registered to Karena Gumm, Chevie Kehoe's wife.
   The Ohio Highway Patrol on Friday released photos of Gumm and CheyneKehoe's wife, Tanna, who might be traveling with the fugitives.
   The patrol said Gumm, 23, of Libby, Mont., is 5-foot-6, weighs 130 poundsand could be using the alias Mary Thrasher. Mary Thrasher was the name used bya woman who registered at the campgrounds when the party arrived a few weeksago, Nichols said. Chevie Kehoe and Gumm have three small children.
   Cheyne Kehoe's spouse was identified by the patrol as Tanna Kehoe, 20,described as 5-foot-10 and slender with blond hair and blue eyes. The FBIidentified her as Tanna Wilburn. She and Cheyne Christopher Kehoe have a son,believed to have been born last July.
   Federal warrants on charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution wereissued Thursday night against the brothers, the FBI announced Friday.

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TRANSCRIPT OF WILMINGTON INCIDENT

   This is the conversation that took place after a Chevrolet Suburban was stopped in Wilmington, as captured by a video camera in an Ohio Highway Patrol cruiser:

Trooper: Afternoon, gentlemen; can I see your driver's license please, sir?
Driver: To be honest with you, I ain't got it on me right now, sir
Trooper: Got any kind of I.D. on you?
Driver: No sir, I don't
Trooper: Do you own the vehicle?
Driver: No sir, I borrowed it from a friend back in Washington State. I'm from back in Washington State.
Trooper: Do you have the registration on you?
Driver: Yes sir, I do.
Trooper: What kind of work do you do?
Driver: I do carpentry. I'm working down in Chillicothe right now at a campground down there. Lake Hill Campground.
Trooper: Uh huh. Don't have any I.D. with you at all?
Driver: No sir, I don't. I got it at the home.
Trooper: Why don't you step back here with me. Trooper (to passenger): Do you have any I.D. at with you sir? Passenger: Uh, no sir.
Trooper: Nothing at all? Passenger: No sir. We're brothers.
Trooper: What you're telling me is you have no kind of I.D. whatsoever in this vehicle. Let me explain something to you, if you have the misfortune of being run over by a semi, and you're both killed, got any suggestions on how I'm supposed to contact the next of kin to come and claim your dead body?
Driver: Well, I know that my wife at home would definitely report me not being at home.
Trooper: Well, don't you think it would be a little bit nicer if I had some kind of I.D. so I could send somebody to the house and you know, rather that six weeks from now when they tie this dead body we got up here in Clinton County into her missing persons report? Just food for thought. Why don't you step back here with me sir? Driver exits the vehicle and walks with trooper back to his cruiser.
Trooper: You say you borrowed the vehicle?
Driver: Excuse me?
Trooper: You say you borrowed the vehicle?
Driver: Actually, what it is, I'll tell you what the prospect is, I'm purchasing it from a friend out there and I just haven't got the money to get the down payment on it yet and get the title switched over or anything.
Trooper: I was going say, they tell me that those plates haven't been renewed.
Driver: Wait a minute!
Trooper: Got any guns, knives, clubs or stuff like that on you?
Driver: I don't want you going and searching through all my stuff
Trooper: I'm not searching through your stuff, sir. I'm going to put you in my car.
Driver: Well, that's just fine.
Trooper: Now, do you have any guns, knives, clubs or stuff like that on you?
Driver: No.
Trooper: Very good
Driver: Listen, I don't want no problems
Trooper: I'm not going to give you any problems.
Driver: I don't want to be violated like this.
Trooper: You're going in my car and ... I'm not violating you, sir.
Driver: I feel violated.
Trooper: Well, you're' going to sit in my car while we run these checks, sir.
Driver: I made a statement that I don't have anything on me.
Trooper: That's fine, sir. I'm going to satisfy myself with that. If you don't have anything on you, you don't have nothing to worry about.
Driver: No, but I don't want to be violated like that.
Trooper: OK, sir, then I'll arrest you for not having a driver's license, and then I'll search you and then I'll put you in jail. So, how do you want to play it? You tell me.
Driver: I don't want any problems. I'm just trying to get home.
Trooper: Well, I'm not trying to make problems, sir. I understand that. Now, we have two options. You can sit here in the car while I run this check and if you sit in my car, I'm going to search your person to make sure that you don't have any dangerous or deadly weapons. Or, I can arrest you for not having a driver's license, then I can search you, then I can put you in jail. Now, the choice is yours.
Driver: I don't like either one of the options, sir.
Trooper: Well, those are the options we have, sir. Now, which would you like to exercise?
Driver: I've never been in a situation like this, and I just don't want any hard problems.
Trooper: I'm not making problems, sir. Those are our options. You don't have a driver's license on you.
Driver: Excuse me?
Trooper: You don't have a driver's license on you. Is that correct?
Driver: No sir, I don't.
Trooper: OK. That's a violation of the law in this state. Now, I'm going to put you in here and try to run some checks and decide if you have a valid driver's license. But, to put you in my car, I'm going to search you for dangerous or deadly weapons. If you don't want to do that, then I will arrest you for not giving me the driver's license, you will go to jail, you will be searched, you will be incarcerated, and you will have to post a bond before you are released. Now, the choice is yours, how do you want to play the game?

(long silence)

Driver: Why am I being pulled over?
Trooper: Well, I believe I told you, sir, that according to the computer, the registration on the vehicle is expired.
Driver: (unintelligible).
Trooper: That's why you were stopped. Now, where we go from here is entirely up to you.
Driver: Why does this have to be so difficult?
Trooper: I'm not trying to make it difficult, sir. I've already explained to you the situation we're in. The choice is yours. If you prefer, I can arrest you for not having a driver's license on your person.
Driver: You can get arrested for not having a driver's license?
Trooper: Yes, sir.
Driver: And what does that curtail (sic)?
Trooper: That curtails (sic) that you'll be searched, cuffed, incarcerated and you'll have to post a bond before you're released. If your fella with you doesn't have a driver's license, then the vehicle would be towed.
Driver: You're telling me that you'll arrest me for not having a driver's license.
Trooper: That's correct.
Driver: The only way I'll not get arrested is if I have a driver's license.
Trooper: No, I didn't say that. You told me you got a driver's license. I'm going to sit you in my car, I want to get some information from you, try to run some checks and verify that. Once that's verified, you're on your way as long as I can find out if there's some valid plates for this vehicle. I'm also going to be checking that. But right now, we're concerned with whether you have a valid license or not. If you don't have a valid license, yes, you're going to be arrested for that. I can tell you that right now.
Driver: For not having a valid license?
Trooper: If you don't have one.
Driver: I do have a valid driver's license
Trooper: OK, the only way I can do that's making checks. I'm going to sit you in my car.
Driver: How long does it take to do an out-of-state check on a valid driver's license?
Trooper: About as long as we've been standing here b--------ing. Now, what do you want to do, sir?

Driver runs toward the Suburban

Trooper: Get back here, boy! Get back here! Boy, get back here!

Struggle and gunfight ensues