Shawn Fix of Sumpter bound over for trial for planning to kidnap Gov.

Shawn Michael Fix, 40, of Sumpter Township is among five men bound over to Antrim County 13th Circuit Court in Bellaire, MI, for trial on state terrorism and gun charges for the alleged role in a plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
On Dec. 7 they all were bound over for trial in circuit court after the district court judge found probable cause they were involved in the crimes. The arraignment on the information is 8 a.m., Dec. 19.
The proceedings are taking place in Antrim County because that’s where Gov. Whitmer’s Elk Rapids vacation home is located and prosecutors say the abduction was to happen. Prosecutors say four of the defendants scouted the house and surroundings and there was talk of blowing up a bridge to keep police from responding.
Besides Fix, the other defendants bound over were Eric Molitor, 38, of Cadillac; Michael John Null, 40, of Plainwell; his twin brother William Grant Null, 40, of Shelbyville; and Brian Higgins, 53, of Wisconsin Dells, WI.
All five are facing a charge of providing material support for terrorist acts, a 20-year felony and/or $20,000 fine. Higgins is the only one not facing the additional charge of carrying or possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony: felony firearm, a two-year mandatory prison sentence to be served consecutively.
Fourteen people, six in federal court and eight in state courts, were arrested in October 2020 and charged with backing the scheme.
The final day of the preliminary exam for these five defendants on Dec. 7 was before 86th District Court Judge Michael Stepka and proceedings were live-streamed on YouTube.
Judge Stepka spoke for almost an hour on Dec. 7, listing evidence brought forward this far in the court proceedings, before announcing his decision to bind them all over to circuit court.
He said he had held three-and-a-half days of preliminary exam on the five cases – Aug. 29, 30, 31, and Sept. 1 – before postponing the final decision until Dec. 7 in order to allow the Attorney General’s Office and defense attorneys an opportunity to file written briefs before issuing a decision.
The Attorney General’s Office called two witnesses over three and a half days, including FBI Special Agent Henrik Impola and an undercover agent whose identity is being protected.
Judge Stepka started off with evidence against the whole group of alleged conspirators and then focused in on each defendant, starting with Fix.
He said Fix was leader Adam Fox’s second in command and was involved more than anyone else, except Fox. Judge Stepka said Fix was involved in the weapons and plans for violent terrorism. He said Fix attended the meeting in Dublin, Ohio, where they talked about storming the capital, taking hostages, and kidnapping the governor.
Judge Stepka said on Aug. 1, 2020, Fix hosted a five-hour meeting at his Belleville (Sumpter Township) home to discuss the plot.
Fix gave the group information on how to find the governor’s residence and took slow-motion video of the residence and area to help with plans for the kidnapping, Judge Stepka said.
Adam Fox and Barry Croft, Jr., described as ringleaders, were convicted of conspiracy in federal court on Aug. 23. Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks earlier pleaded guilty, while Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted at trial in April.
In a related case, Joe Morrison, his father-in-law Pete Musico and Paul Bellar were found guilty in October of supplying “material support” for a terrorist act as members of a group known as the Wolverine Watchmen.