A police investigation began yesterday into the distribution of a recruiting flier at Towson High School for an apparently fictitious Western Maryland-based militia group.
The United Gospel Militia of Maryland flier called for "the gradual overthrow of our liberal government, starting at the local level," and for the eventual "cooperative invasion of Capitol Hill with other patriot groups, followed by the execution of those politicians who have betrayed the people of these United States."
"We don't know if it's real or not," said Officer Robert T. Reed, investigating the matter for the Baltimore County police. "We're not sure who did this and if this is a prank or not, but right now we're taking it seriously because it's a sensitive matter."
While no one has broken any laws by passing out the fliers, Officer Reed said police are investigating the document because of the recent Oklahoma City bombing.
School officials found the first flier Tuesday afternoon. Police were called at 9:40 a.m. yesterday after an assistant principal at Towson found several more in school hallways, stuffed into lockers and hanging on a wall.
The flier, with occasional misspellings, told of monthly meetings at the militia's Oakland farm headquarters and "infantry training and firing drills in the nearby Backbone Mountains."
Two purported militia leaders -- Brig. General Vincent Pyne, whose supposed farm was said to be the militia headquarters, and Travis Boone from the remote town of Table Rock -- were named in the flier.
Police said that they could find no records yesterday to indicate that either man exists, and that the phone number on the flier proved to be fictitious.
Charles Herndon, spokesman for Baltimore County schools, said the flier appeared to have no connection to Towson High.
"The schoolhouse is no place for this destructive propaganda," he said.
Because the school is used for night classes and a variety of activities, he said, many people other than students and teachers have access to the building.
