Robert Joos retracted his motion to replace a public defender as his federal trial for being a felon in possession of firearms got under way in Springfield Monday.
The Powell resident, retained his attorney after a federal judge told the self-proclaimed white supremacist he would not grant another continuance, the Springfield News-Leader reported Monday. If granted, the continuance would have been the third in the case.
Joos has pleaded not guilty to federal weapons charges and is being held without bond. He was arrested in late June as part of an investigation into a 2004 mail bombing in Scottsdale, Ariz., that injured a black city official.
Federal prosecutors say an investigation found that people involved in the white supremacist movement in the U.S. met for survival training at Joos’ property in McDonald County. Joos owns 200 acres near Powell, and is pastor of the Sacerdotal Church of David.
Joos is also seeking some $23 million in damages from the federal government for alleged constitutional rights violations.
In a letter written last week to Joos and posted on his blog site, Martin Lindstedt, a Granby resident who is pastor of the “Church of Jesus Christ Christian / Aryan Nations of Missouri,” asked Joos to consider asking for a delay in the trial.
In 2004, Joos was convicted of operating a motor vehicle without a license. Joos contends he was wrongfully convicted. During a 2002 hearing, he told the court he had no intention of obtaining a Missouri driver’s license, saying he is a “servant of God and can have no covenant with the heathen government.” After a court appearance that year, he told a Daily News reporter that he believes he does not have to have a driver’s license as he does not transport goods or people for hire.
Joos was hospitalized in November 2004 as a result of a hunger strike.
