EXCLUSIVE: Couple Spied On, Raided and Kidnapped by Feds for Peaceful Posts Questioning Gov’t

 The owners of a tactical supply company were violently arrested and  then detained for hours with no explanation while their home was raided  by a SWAT Team and their assets were seized—but the evidence used  against them by police had nothing to do with alleged illegal  activities. 

In an exclusive interview with The Free Thought Project, Sarah Leach  said that she and her husband, Andrew, were ambushed and detained by  police for more than 13 hours before they finally  received an explanation for their arrest. The evidence the officers  claimed to have against them came in the form of a previous error made  by state police and a stack of papers that contained detailed  screenshots of posts from their social media accounts. 

“The raid was a result of two things, according to  the Riverside Sheriff’s Investigator who interviewed me after having  detained me for 13 hours without charges; the fact that they were aware  that California Highway Patrol had seized, and then given back to us,  high capacity pistol magazines to the prior year, something they are  calling an error on CHP’s end. More disturbing were the stacks of  printed pages from my social media accounts, particularly those things  which criticize police and government overreach, police violence, my  personal ideologies regarding self-governance and the inalienable rights  we are afforded as human beings, and even memes and jokes they found,  as parts of evidence to request a search warrant, including posts of a  very subjective and ironic nature.”

Leach said the ordeal began when she and her husband were running  errands one morning. After they parked at a strip mall and got out of  their car, a patrol car from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department  pulled up and blocked their path. Two deputies got out and informed the  couple that one of the taillights on their car was out. “We attempted to thank them and proceed, but were blocked from movement,” Sarah Leach said. 

“It  was at that point I noticed a few others sheriff’s vehicles had  arrived, including undercover vehicles. I realized this was not a  traffic stop when I saw police agents in blue jeans with AR-15s  surrounding the area. I began to record on my phone and inquire as to  whether I was being charged, detained, or was free to go. They violently  cuffed me, threw my phone on the hood of the car, and shoved me in the  back of an un-air-conditioned police vehicle for about one hour until  their supervisor arrived to begin questioning me about aforementioned  magazines.” 

After the pair were violently handcuffed, they spent the rest of the  day in police custody, and while they were being treated like criminals,  they were given little explanation about what crimes they had  committed. During that time, a number of federal agencies worked  together to raid the Leach’s home, seizing more than 100 personal  items—all of which was obtained legally. 

“We were transported to the police station, where we  would subsequently be held for 13 hours without being able to make a  phone call or ascertain charges against us,” Leach said. 

“All  the while, the SWAT team, with the assistance of the ATF, FBI, and  National Terrorism Task Force raided my home, removing over 120 items,  the vast majority of them NOT being our personal firearms, but business  records, personal hard drives which house film and music, notebooks,  maps of the local area, plate carriers, legally obtained ammunition, the  magazines in question, and a great deal of other personal effects and  assets.”  

Leach told The Free Thought Project that the investigators gave “no other reason for the raid than inflammatory social media posts,” and they revealed that an investigation was started after a post on one of their social media accounts was reported by a “concerned individual.” 

“They had allegedly been observing us for about one month, as  well as observing Andrew’s elderly parents, a Baptist minister, and a  county librarian, possibly the most harmless and docile individuals on  earth, who have been dragged into this investigation, which is  especially tragic consider Andrew’s father had suffered a stroke only a  few weeks ago and has been in healing, just recently able to return to  his work as a preacher,” Leach said. 

A copy of the search warrant given to Sarah and Andrew Leach by the  Riverside County Sheriff’s Department lists both of their personal  Facebook accounts: 

 In response to a request for comment, the department’s media information bureau told TFTP, “Unfortunately,  this investigation is still ongoing and the details surrounding this  investigation are not available for release.” Leach said that after she and her husband were arrested, federal  agents used the garage door opener in her car to gain access to her  house. While the physical damage to the property was small, she said  they were traumatized by the fact that the feds raided their home and  stole countless possessions after obtaining a search warrant with no  legitimate evidence. 

“The damage was minimal in the sense of the physical integrity of  the house. SWAT raids these days are known for tearing people’s walls  apart, shooting their pets, breaking their windows,” Leach said. “The  real damage comes from the horror of your personal property and your  home being violated so egregiously over claims that can never be proven,  as they are so absolutely false.” The Leachs own a tactical supply company in California. 

They do not  sell firearms, but they do sell parts that can be used by individuals on  their firearms, among a variety of other products. Leach noted that the  business is completely legal, and follows all of the state’s  regulations. “We do not sell firearms, rather, we sell the parts and tools to  be purchased by customers who wish to complete or modify their own  firearm. We also sell knives, flashlights, t-shirts, belts, vests,  optics, and various tactical supplies,” Leach said. 

“Our customer base is very diverse, from elderly women to law enforcement and military.” As the couple attempts to put their life back together, they are  faced with the task of appearing in court for a victimless crime that  boils down to the fact that law enforcement chose to target them over of  a series of social media posts they deemed “offensive.” 

While there are cases where police find violent threats online that  were posted by suspected gunmen in the days before their attacks, and  cases where FBI informants befriend individuals for the sake of  convincing them to agree to carry out an attack, the Leachs’ case, is  the exact opposite. 

As Leach noted, the screenshots that were used by police depicted  content that questioned the narrative, criticized government overreach  and called for police accountability. Instead of advocating for violence  or threatening anyone, the posts condemned the violent methods used by  the government and police. In response, several federal agencies wasted taxpayer funds to spy on, detain and interrogate an innocent couple. 

“This is precisely what we have been warned about regarding prosecution over thought crimes,” Leach said. “Whether  or not you support firearm rights, or even like us personally, it must  be acknowledged that a search warrant was obtained at least in part  based on opinions, both serious and joking, that have been said online  among friends, a true Orwellian nightmare manifest into reality.” 

If you would like to donate to Sarah and Andrew Leach’s legal fund you can do so here: 

https://www.gofundme.com/help-for-sarah-amp-andy039s-legal-fees

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