By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Additional felony charges have been filed against members of a white supremacist group related to a 2019 incident in Dexter.

25-year old Justen Walker of Bad Axe is the self-proclaimed leader of The Base, a national white supremacist group with violent inclinations. Last October, Watkins was one of two men charged in connection to a December 2019 incident in Dexter in which a family was terrorized at their home after the men allegedly used intimidation tactics on the premises and posted messages to other members of The Base targeting the home.

Watkins and 35-year-old Alfred Gorman of Taylor, allegedly dressed in dark clothing, shined a light and took pictures on the family’s front porch (pictured), mistaking it for the home of someone they believed to be in Antifa. They posted the pictures on the social media platform Telegram.

A release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office says following the authorization of the initial charges, the involved agencies found evidence of other felonies believed to be committed by Watkins and other members of The Base that occurred a few weeks prior to the Department charging him and Gorman.

Watkins, 32-year-old Thomas Denton and 19-year-old Tristan Webb are now facing additional felony charges in connection to the newly discovered evidence that includes larceny in a building, gang membership, conspiracy to commit teaching use of firearms for a civil disorder and felony firearms.

The Department and the Tuscola County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office allege the three men entered two former Michigan Department of Corrections sites – MDOC Camp Tuscola Annex and MDOC Tuscola Residential ReEntry Program – which were, and are, vacant in the city of Caro on October 3rd, 2020. The properties are owned by the Michigan State Land Bank.

Investigators discovered the men took state-issued clothing from one of the locations. It is also alleged the sites were assessed as potential future training grounds for “hate camps”, which is what the group named their paramilitary firearms training exercises.

Denton and Webb were arrested and arraigned Wednesday in Tuscola County’s 71B District Court. Both men will receive a GPS tether if they post bond and will remain under house arrest expect for traveling to and from work and court appearances.

Meanwhile, Watkins has been in custody in the Washtenaw County Jail since his bond was revoked in May. His arraignment date on the new charges is not yet set. Denton and Webb’s next court dates are August 25th for a probable cause conference. Gorman is currently out on bond.

The press release with more information is attached.