"Militia" arrested on LSU campus

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BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Two men were arrested after campus police found them walking on LSU grounds carrying high-powered rifles.

The LSU Police Department reported Andrew Watts Jr. and Jonathan Klein were arrested on May 5 after officers received complaints about two men dressed in military attire carrying rifles on a levee on LSU's campus around 10:30 p.m.

They were charged with carrying a firearm in a firearm free zone. Both men were booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. Bond was set at $10,000 each.

Police responding to the call located Watts and Klein near Skip Bertman Drive. According to the probable cause report, when questioned, the suspects said they often make a 12-mile hike along the levee with their rifles. The report stated Watts and Klein told investigators they were a part of a "state militia" and had gotten permission from the "chief of police" to patrol the area.

LSUPD said Watts and Klein could not name which police chief gave them permission nor the jurisdiction to which the police chief belonged.

Officers reported the suspects were carrying an AR-15 semi-auto assault rifle, a .45 ACP semi-auto pistol and a British Enfield 303 rifle bearing. The weapons and ammunition were confiscated by LSU police officers.

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