Nebraska Airport Official Aided Kidnap Plot, Feds Say

ARAPAHOE, NEBRASKA – A quiet Nebraska airport has become the center of an international conspiracy, according to federal indictments unsealed this week. Anthony Todd Weverka, 54, of Arapahoe, is accused of deliberately concealing a plot to kidnap a rural Nebraska sheriff and a Tennessee judge, while simultaneously aiding a fugitive wanted on gun charges. The Justice Department alleges Weverka’s actions constitute Misprision of Felony, a serious charge carrying a potential three-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine.

The case began with Michael Wayne Parsons, 55, of Arlington, Tennessee, a convicted felon. Parsons, previously convicted of aggravated assault on November 23, 2009, in Tipton County, Tennessee, allegedly arrived at the Arapahoe Airport piloting a plane and seeking overnight accommodation. He was, however, a fugitive from justice, having failed to appear for trial on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Parsons was found to be carrying a Rock River 5.56 LAR-15 assault rifle and a staggering 637 rounds of ammunition when located in Nebraska on January 11, 2017. He now faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted on the firearm charge, but is currently in custody in Tennessee awaiting trial on other charges.

Weverka, serving as President of the Arapahoe Airport Board, reportedly met with Parsons, who identified himself with increasingly bizarre claims – first as an ambassador, then as associate chief justice of the Chilcotin Nation in British Columbia, Canada. After Parsons’ arrest and transport to the Furnas County Jail, the situation escalated. A woman identifying herself as the Chief Justice of the Universal Supreme Court of the Tshilhqot’in Nation (USCTN), a self-proclaimed Canadian entity, began issuing demands for Parsons’ release. When those demands were ignored, she allegedly contacted a bounty hunter in New Orleans, offering payment to break Parsons out of jail, arrest the Furnas County Sheriff and the presiding Judge in Tipton County, Tennessee, and spirit them all away to Canada for a dubious “trial.”

The indictment paints Weverka as an active participant in covering up this escalating threat. Investigators allege Weverka learned of the bounty hunter plot targeting the Sheriff and failed to immediately notify law enforcement. He allegedly maintained repeated contact with the Canadian woman, even supplying her with the Sheriff’s home address. While Weverka is said to have warned the Sheriff his life might be in danger, he purposefully withheld critical details about the planned abduction, concealing his role through what prosecutors call “false statements, omissions of material facts and continuing assistance” to those involved. The prosecution alleges this deliberate concealment amounts to Misprision of Felony.

The investigation, a joint effort between the FBI, the Furnas County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Nebraska State Patrol, and even the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, highlights the reach of this alleged conspiracy. Agents took Weverka into custody on May 1, 2017, and his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart was scheduled for May 2, 2017, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The full extent of the USCTN’s involvement, and the motivations behind this bizarre attempt to circumvent the American justice system, remain under investigation.

This case raises serious questions about vetting procedures at small, rural airports and the potential for such facilities to be exploited by fugitives and those with nefarious intentions. Federal prosecutors are clearly signaling they intend to fully prosecute Weverka for what they describe as a deliberate and dangerous betrayal of public trust. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this developing story and provide updates as they become available.