Beau Daniel Merryman arrested for "knowingly distribut(ing)…the manufacture and use of an explosive and destructive device, namely detailed instructions for constructing pipe bombs," according to a federal indictment
East Texas man has ties to domestic terror group Atomwaffen Division
By Nate Thayer
April 29, 2020
A Texas man with long connections to domestic terror groups was arrested last October for allegedly plotting to blow up U.S. federal buildings, according to Eastern District of Texas federal court documents.
Beau Daniel Merryman, 19, has long associations with Nazi and White Supremacist organizations, including the Atomwaffen Division, the Base, and other recognized domestic terror groups, according to an analysis of his online activities where he used several aliases, including 'Sam Dmass' on the racist friendly VK and GAB social media sites.
Merryman was arrested by U.S. Marshals on October 17, 2019 after being indicted the day before by a federal grand jury in Marshall, Texas for distributing designs of bombs to other white nationalists. He remains in jail awaiting trial. A court ordered psychiatric examination in February, 2020 determined he was competant to stand trial. He faces 30 years in federal prison if convicted on the charges.
It was not Merryman's first run-in with law enforcement for racist criminal activities.
Merryman was arrested in March of 2019 in Atlanta, Texas, a small town with a population of under 5000 between Houston and Dallas, for plastering the town with more than 100 white supremacist stickers.
Atlanta, Texas officials were not amused and deployed on and off duty personal on March 18, 2019, when the town unleashed all its resources to track down, identify, and arrest Merryman, Atlanta, Texas city documents show.
The Mayor, police chief, and city mananger of Atlanta, in separate interviews, remember Merryman well.
"Oh. I remember Mr. Merryman well," said Atlanta, Texas mayor Travis Ransom in an interview. "I can tell you we certainly took him seriously."
The Mayor, whose mayoral salary is $100 a year, was not exaggerating.
Numerous off duty Altanta, Texas police officers, firefighters, water department employees, other city workers, and Texas state troopers volunteered and showed up to locate the white racist responsible for putting more than 100 racist stickers on public property that night.
Merryman posted the Mayor's name and photograph on his white nationalist social media page after his arrest in March 2019.
The local Atlanta, Texas police department called in reinforcements to locate the man responsible for plastering their samll town with racist stickers. Off duty officers and volunteer firefighters showed up to locate the suspect. The Texas state police also came to assist. They located Merryman at a local gas station and found he had a number of the racist stickers in his possession. Merryman was arrested on local charged of "Criminal Mischief."
The incident began when a local off duty Atlanta, Texas police officer emerged from a local gym on March 19 and was alerted by another citizen that someone was plastering the small town with white nationalist stickers. After receiving a description of the man, the then off duty officer called in a report to the Atlanta police department. Several off duty police officers and even a local firefighter responded and located Merryman at a local gas station, where he was found with the stickers and arrested.
"On Monday March 18, 2019 Atlanta Police Officer Ernest Cutchall was off duty and excersizing at the St. Michaels Fitness Center when he was contacted by a concerned local citizen. contacted the Atlanta Police Department regarding a suspicious person that was placing stickers on property around the downtown area," reads the Atlanta, Texas incident report. "Officer Jimmy Woolery was at Cass County Jail with a subject he had arrested. Officer Hagan was on a crash call at the Taco Bell and then had a call referencing an incident that occurred at the Sportsplex. (Texas State) Trooper responded to assist Officer Cutchall with the suspicious person."
"At approxamately 9:37 PM, used his patrol vehicle radio and called dispatch for an on duty officer to locate and investigate the subject. The dispatch responded that the on duty officers were busy on calls right now. Officer Cutchall notified dispatch that he would patrol the downtown area and try and locate the subject."
"At approxamately 9:41, officer Cutchell advised dispatch he had located the subject at the Shell Mart…and advised dispatch he was with the subject until on duty officers arrived. (Off duty and out of uniform) Officer Cutchall advised subject he was officer Cutchall with the Atlanta police department..and advised the subject he would be speaking with him until an on duty officer arrived. Officer Cutchell explained to the subject that he had been reported as affixing stickers to sign posts and the subject admitted to it. Officer Cutchall explained to the subject he was entitled to free speech, but he cannot place stickers on signs and other items of property without consent of the owners."
"Mark Hill, a volunteer Atlanta firefighter arrived and stood nearby for officer Cutchall's safety….officer Cutchallobserved the subject was wearing a black t-shirt with a white design of a German Lugar WW2 style pistol with the phrase "Kill your local drug dealer," reads the police incident report.
"Officer Cutchell left the scene and went back to St. Micahael's Fitness Center and photographed sign post and stickers with his cell phone…"
The stickers read 'Once you go black, we never want you back" and "White Lives Matter."
"Approximately 20 employees of the City of Atlanta sustained a substantial inconvenience in having to remove racially charged stickers from objects in the downtown area and this incident has risen to the level of criminal mischief, a Class C Misdemeanor," reads the police incident report.
Atlanta, Texas city officials mobilized a crew of city workers and employees to take down the stickers. "Sgt. Restelle instructed Detective Hicks to go to the downtown area and locate and remove adhesive label stickers that were placed on city and private property without permisssion. Sgt Restelle believed the labels would cause a breach of the piece (sic) and believed the label needed to be removed immediately. Sgt. Restelle requested all available Police Officer's on duty to request (sic) with the task."
"After speaking with Sgt. Restelle, detective Hicks went to the downtown area and located adhesive lables located on city and pivate property. Detective Hicks believed the labels could be considered offensive to the public. The labels had statements 'It's OK to be white, stop the hate, separate, once you go black, we don't want you back, and kill your local drug dealer.' Detective Hicks removed approximately 20 labels…detective Hicks was in the downtown area for an hour and a half with approximately nine other city employees. Officer Rumsey, Officer Wall, Sgt. Restelle, Officer Gerber, the Mayor, the City Manager, Bobby Washington and two other employees from the Water Department."
Merryman was convicted on July 30, 2019 and fined $9500 for the costs of city workers having been deployed to remove the more than 100 stickers from public property.
Mayor Ransom and his wife shopped for groceries at the local supermarket where Merryman was a bagger, Mayor Ransom said in a telephone interview. Merryman was fired from his job as a result of his white supremacist activities. "My wife recognized his picture because she shops there."
"On Monday, March 18, 2019, Atlanta Police Officer Ernest Cutchall was off duty and excersizing at the St. Michaels Fitness Center in Atlanta when he was approached by a concerned citizen. The citizen reported that a white male subject was recruiting for the KKK by placing racial stickers on light poles and signs including the St Michaels Fitness Center sign (in the parking lot of the St Michaels Fitness Center.) When asked for a description, the citizen stated the subject is a thin white male in his 20's and approxamately 6′ to 6'1"and was wearing a black skull cap with two 'SS' lightning bolts such as what Nazi storm troppers wear."
During the Atlanta, Texas investigation and arrest of the Merryman "I can tell you the FBI became involved" said the Mayor, the city manager David Cockrell, and the police chief Robin Betts in separate interviews.
Merryman, on his social media pages where he remained unrepentant after his Atlanta, Texas arrest and July 30, 2019 conviction on charges of "Criminal Mischief", acknowledged the "feds" had seized his computer.
Less than three months later, Merryman was arrested, on October 17, 2019, by the FBI for making and 'distributing' blueprints of pipe bombs to other white nationalists.
Beau Daniel Merryman, 19, has remained in federal custody after being arrested by U.S. Marshals on October 17, 2019, the day after a federal grand jury indicted himon deferal charges of distributing a plans for bombs targeting "energy facilities."
A February 2020 petition by Merryman's defense attorney for a court ordered psychological evaluation was approved by the Eastern District of Texas federal judge, the evaluation was made, and the determination was Merryman is fit to stand trial.
He remains in a Marshall County, Texas jail awaiting federal court trial. The date of the trial has not been set by the Eastern Court of Texas federal judge. ■