GREEN RIVER — A man who appeared before the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners Tuesday is the founder of an alt-right militia in Arizona with a history of making threats against government officials and others.

Michael Lewis Arthur Meyer spoke to the commissioners Tuesday, saying he lives in the county and has been working with businesses and churches to enhance disaster relief. He urged the commissioners to plan for severe weather events and warned of the disaster that could occur in Green River if the Fontenelle Dam fails. He also promoted chemtrail conspiracy theory, claiming the military is “playing God with the weather” and alleged chemtrails spread various chemicals and biological materials. Meyer later spoke before the Green River City Council Tuesday evening, again regarding chemtrails and military conspiracy theories. His words to the commissioners earned support from Wyoming Rep. Marlene Brady, R-Green River.

“I came in a little late, but listening to this gentleman speak back here, I just want to let you know that is 100 percent correct,” Brady told the commissioners.

There is no proof of his claims and the chemtrail conspiracy theory has been widely rejected by atmospheric scientists.

Meyer is best known as the founder of Veterans on Patrol in Pima County, Arizona. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Veterans on Patrol is an antigovernment and anti-immigrant militia. The SPLC is a nonprofit organization involved in legal and community efforts to dismantle white supremacy and “unmask and defeat some of the nation’s most violent white supremacist groups.”

“The group has also pushed anti-Indigenous, antisemitic, anti-Catholic and anti-Mormon falsehoods,” according to the SPLC. 

While speaking to the Green River City Council, Meyer described Veterans on Patrol as a veteran’s suicide prevention program, citing a drop in veteran suicides from 22 per day in 2015 when his organization was founded to 17.6 suicides per day, though he did not say where that statistic came from.

The SPLC characterizes Meyer as a “Christian nationalist who rallies hard-right extremists and conspiracy theorists around the issue of immigration and encourages vigilantism.” Communications from Veterans on Patrol published by the SPLC also indicate the group opposes law enforcement. 

“These criminals we are standing against are far worse than the Cartel … They wear Sheriff Deputy Uniforms, Police Uniforms, Military Uniforms, and now Undercover Uniforms,” a Veterans on Patrol Telegram message dated Nov. 5, 2023 on the SPLC website states.

Veterans on Patrol started in 2015 and drew attention to veteran suicides, but evolved into a far-right vigilante group the SPLC says has “snowballed into a conspiracy-driven group of extremists.”

Prior Arrests

Meyer has had multiple run-ins with Arizona law enforcement. He was arrested in Surprise, Arizona in 2015 after climbing an 80-foot light pole and holding an American flag upside down. He was charged with criminal trespassing in the third degree and disorderly conduct. The incident resulted in the cancelation of several nearby programs scheduled for the day.

He was arrested in July 2018 on an outstanding warrant and for trespassing on private property in Tucson. A press release from the Tucson Police Department cited by News 13 in Tucson alleges Meyers and his followers threatened and intimidated members of the Santa Rita Park Neighborhood Association, as well as other residents.

“Through social media, Meyer has made multiple threatening and hostile remarks directed towards various elected and appointed officials,” the release cited by News 13 states.

He was arrested in August 2019 for damaging and stealing water tanks that were left for migrants and located on private property, where he was charged with two felony counts of third-degree burglary, along with misdemeanor counts of theft and criminal damage. SweetwaterNOW was unable to verify if Meyer was convicted on those charges as of the publication of this post. 

Oklahoma Radar Vandalism and Threats Made in Idaho

Meyer recently told an Oklahoma television station Veterans on Patrol claimed responsibility for vandalizing its weather radar, which is used to track severe storms. News 9 in Oklahoma City spoke with Meyer after its radar was vandalized in July and was told Veterans on Patrol was targeting weather radars in the state because of a belief that the radars are used to control the weather. A 39-year-old Oklahoma City man was charged in conjunction with the radar vandalism and no connection to Veterans on Patrol was cited by police.

According to a 2022 article from EastIdahoNews.com, Meyer made threats against a judge, an attorney, a news reporter, and others in eastern Idaho. The situation stems from a custody battle between two parents over their three-year-old son, where the father had won full custody of the child. Meyers, who is also identified as being the pastor of Walking for the Forgotten Ministry, claimed the mother and son had been granted sanctuary in a safe house operated by his ministry.

Meyer posted a video outside the office of an attorney involved in the case, identifying himself as a border journalist and alleged the attorney is responsible for attempting to abduct the child from “his loving mother.”

A reporter for the website received a threatening phone message from Meyer while covering the custody battle. The reporter, Nate Eaton, filed a civil order against Meyer and noted serving the order was challenging because Meyer “does not seem to have a permanent address.”

According to the website, the ministry and Meyers repeatedly posted threatening messages and videos on social media telling law enforcement, the magistrate judge, and others to “stand down.” The ministry also shared email addresses, phone numbers and home or business addresses of people connected to the case. 

“We obey God…. not the Globalist Government. So many of you are fed up right now…GOOD. Now let’s start assembling in numbers they cannot control and take over all Government/Law Enforcement responsibilities ourselves,” a social media post cited by EastIdahoNews.com states.