KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. — A self-proclaimed medicine man accused of building up a stockpile of weapons and supplies in an underground bunker was trying to convince a judge to let him out of jail Tuesday.
Reuben DeHaan’s detention hearing in federal court was scheduled for Tuesday around noon.
Federal agents might have discovered more than they bargained for during a search of the home of the self-proclaimed "medicine man" last Thursday in Kings Mountain.
The IRS and the FBI conducted the search after prosecutors filed federal tax evasion charges against Reuben DeHaan.
Court records show that prosecutors took out additional charges after Thursday's search.
They discovered a bunker with a "significant amount of food and beverages" stored in various rooms, walls and ceilings, according to an affidavit. There were two water tanks that each held about 2,000 gallons of water.
One room within the bunker contained approximately 70 weapons, including rifles, shotguns and handguns, according to federal investigators.
Authorities also reported finding components that could be used to build a destructive device, including PVC piping, tannerite, aluminum powder and a 100-foot fuse.
Federal charges were first filed Thursday against DeHaan.
Investigators said he runs two businesses out of his home called Get Well Stay Well and Health Care Ministries International.
DeHaan claims that because he is a minister, he does not have to pay income tax.
Investigators said DeHaan has not voluntarily filed an income tax return for himself or his business since 1997, except for frivolous returns covering the years 2005 and 2006.
Channel 9 showed the affidavit to former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker.
He said the items discovered in the residence, including unregistered firearms and non-taxed liquor, furthers suspicions about DeHaan's anti-government leanings.
"It's sort of an anarchist view, if you will: 'None of the rules apply to us (and) we can create our own weapons,'" Swecker said.
Swecker said the affidavit, which was signed by a special agent on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, shows that the case is very serious.
"The JTTF does not work small cases," Swecker said.
While DeHaan remains in the Mecklenburg County jail, his patients have offered glowing reviews of his practice.
Eyewitness News spoke with Katie Wakefield, who saw DeHaan for more than a year. She traveled an hour from her home in Moore, South Carolina.
"I'm just sorry that that's happened, especially since I have had some great results," Wakefield said.
Wakefield said she never noticed anything illegal and described the practice as a typical office with a front desk and files. She said she would still go back to DeHaan.
"I would, because when it comes down to how he helped me and how long it has taken me to finally have some relief, I'm happy to say... I'm positive to say that I would go back to him," Wakefield said.
DeHaan will appear in court Tuesday for a detention hearing. A judge could decide whether he can be released on bond.
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