Richard McCaslin

Richard McCaslin as the Phantom Patriot

On January 19, 2002, McCaslin attempted a raid on the Bohemian Grove campground, just north of San Francisco, while dressed as his alter ego The Phantom Patriot.[7][8] McCaslin later claimed to have been concerned about ritualistic child sacrifice taking place at Bohemian Grove, after seeing the documentary film Dark Secrets Inside Bohemian Grove, by radio show host Alex Jones.[9] McCaslin planned to burn the massive owl statue at the Bohemian Grove, believing it to be emblematic of the Canaanite god Moloch, associated with child sacrifice. Before departing Austin on his "mission," McCaslin claimed to have stopped by the AC-TV public access studios and spoke directly with Alex Jones about Bohemian Gove, but says he made no indication of his plans to the host.[10]

Wearing a skull mask and a blue jumpsuit with "Phantom Patriot" written in red on his chest, McCaslin entered the campground, armed with "a pump-action rifle/shotgun hybrid, a .45 caliber handgun, a crossbow, a 2-foot-long sword, a knife and a fireworks mortar tube." McCaslin entered the camp in the winter, meaning the camp was deserted except for some staff.[11]

Upon entering the grove, McCaslin discovered that the owl was made of concrete instead of redwood, as he had believed, and could not be destroyed. McCaslin also failed to find any evidence of the sacrificial rituals he believed he would interrupt. Frustrated, McCaslin kicked in the door to a cabin and slept in it overnight.[12]

The following morning, McCaslin set a fire in the empty banquet hall, which in turn triggered an alarm. McCaslin encountered caretaker Fred Yeager and maintenance man Bob Hipkiss, but no guests were present.[13] Upon leaving the grounds. McCaslin pointed his MK-1 rifle at Yeager as he sat in his security booth, believing the phone Yeager held to be a gun. McCaslin encountered law enforcement officers that had surrounded his truck, and was later removed following a tense armed standoff. McCaslin later claimed in correspondence with author Tea Krulos that his thoughts about the slim possibility of seeing Chely Wright again kept him from turning violent. McCaslin was briefly held at the mental health ward of the Sonoma County Jail.[14]

The Phantom Patriot's calling card left behind at Bohemian Grove

He was later convicted on felony charges of arson, burglary, brandishing a weapon at a peace officer, and two counts for being armed and wearing a bulletproof vest.[15] He was imprisoned in California.

McCaslin was paroled on May 19, 2008. On June 28, 2011, using the name "Thoughtcrime", McCaslin protested outside the Alcoa plant in Davenport, Iowa, where Barack Obama was speaking. He accused Obama, as well as the Bushes, the Clintons and others of being reptoid/human hybrids, or "blue blood".[16]

A report filed by the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department on October 15, 2018, indicates McCaslin attempted suicide. Police found McCaslin suffering from a head injury in his truck, parked in an alley next to the House of the Temple, a Masonic Temple. The Freemasons were a frequent subject of McCaslin's conspiracy theories. He was pronounced dead the following day.[17]