SALINE CO.— The public’s differing view of whether or not George Zimmerman, who brought more fame as well as shame on the Neighborhood Watch program than any single individual, did the right or wrong thing in his situation not withstanding, the case has spawned a plethora of unhinged, untrained, vigilante cop-wannabes determined to patrol their neighborhoods enforcing whatever laws they see fit, how they see fit.
Such appears to be the case with the arguably unstable twin brother of Harrisburg Detective Curt Hustedde.
Curt’s much larger brother Carl Boyd Hustedde, 45, resides in Carrier Mills and has been busy recently attempting to start his own gun-toting patrol in the Mills with a promise to spread out to “bigger things.”
Hustedde’s efforts were brought to Disclosure’s attention after more than a few concerned citizens began reading his Facebook page wherein he promoted “recruitment meetings.”
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The comments began in early-to-mid October, and proceeded through early November.
Amongst the first, Carl Hustedde posted:
“Neighborhood Watch Recruitment meeting tonight at the Carrier Mills Municipal building at 7 pm.
“This will not be long at all. Just need your name, addy, phone #, social security #, drivers Lic #, and times you can volunteer to patrol. Then you can go home now how easy is that : )
“We will be having meetings in the future and will have Police coming in to give us direction/maybe some training on what we can do to help them and legal issues and all kinds of stuff.”
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It wasn’t the content of his Facebook posts, but the information Hustedde seemed to be asking volunteers for that had many wondering exactly what he was up to.
“Maybe that’s the way that kind of thing is done, but it didn’t feel right him asking for social security numbers and all the information we are always told to keep safe,” said one concerned citizen.
Terrorism training and Homeland Security
As time went by, Hustedde’s posts became a bit more bizarre, talking about being trained by the federal government because “them having more power now.”
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Carl Hustedde posted:
“The Justice Department and National Sheriffs Association has expanded the role of NW (Neighborhood Watch) and has changed the name after 9/11 to ‘USA on Watch’ to give a lil more power and additional training on terrorism, homeland security, natural disasters, and training to be a first responder. It will be up to you as to how far you wanna go in this organization.”
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Hustedde went on to give a peek at just how far he wanted to take his “organization.”
“I would like to just focus on our Village at first then set Harrisburg up with one before we tackle the big stuff,” he posted.
It is not clear exactly how far Hustedde intended to go once he was “set up” in Harrisburg or what he was referring to by ‘the big stuff.’
‘WE OWN THIS HOOD’!
It is unclear if Hustedde was in need of the medication he was rumored to have needed in the past or what, but several days after the “big stuff” post he actually posted threats to anyone who bothered anybody at the apartment complex he was living in.
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Carl Hustedde posted:
“OK EVERYONE NEEDS TO LISTEN UP IF YOU LIVE IN CARRIER MILLS !!!! I have had 1 idiot Violating Private Property, Disturbing The Peace, and Mob Action at the apartment I live in and all the neighbors in the complex got cussed out by the assailant in the same night, I know thats why I said idiot. One of my best friends who is also a neighbor had 2 idiots outside her living room window. SO, FROM NOW ON THESE ARE THE RULES. If you are not a tenant or have friends or family visiting tenants at Pankey Road Apartments In Carrier Mills then you are VIOLATING THE LAW BY TRESPASSING. As administrator and founder of the Neighborhood Watch Program YOU WILL BE MET WITH SUCH ACTION AS TAZERING, STUN GUN, or PEPPER SPRAY and whatever means necessary to protect the home and address of The Neighborhood Watch Program and afterwards the Police will be here to escort you to jail and we will file charges against anyone who knowingly breaks the law and thinks that they are gonna start trouble here. WE the tenants OWN THIS HOOD SO I WOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU COME OVER AND HAVE A MANIC OR BI POLAR EPISODE.”
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What is disturbing is the diminishment of the police’s role in this situation; all the “actions” the “idiots” would be “met with” are served up by the Neighborhood Watch members, then the police would “escort you to jail” and “we” (presumably the Neighborhood Watch people) would “file charges” (something that is not their job; that is the job of the county’s prosecutor.)
It seems clear that Hustedde was going to handle whatever situation he felt he had on his hands any way he saw fit and maybe call authorities later.
There is also an absence of anything resembling understanding that there are citizens who suffer from mental illness and maybe shouldn’t be treated like a common, violent thug….something those close to Hustedde says he should understand fully.
“Rules hold us back”
Sources indicate that when Hustedde started having his authority questioned and asked about the legitimacy of what he was attempting to create, he became angry and started checking with the National Neighborhood Watch Institute to confirm his vision.
It turns out the “Justice Department and National Sheriffs Association and the NW” all informed Hustedde he would actually be committing crimes and violating the law if continued on his current course of action.
And that’s when it appears Hustedde crossed the line, which many believed he never acknowledged in the first place, from concerned citizen to one of the plethora of unhinged, untrained, vigilante cop-wannabes determined to patrol their neighborhoods enforcing whatever laws they see fit, how they see fit.
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Carl Hustedde posted:
“Wrestling about what to do about NW after calling The National Institute I did not realize the rules on us members that hold us back from doing our job and that we are to only watch and call 911 if anything is going down. Well thats plain dumb cuz theres never a cop when you need one and that is not protecting ourselves and the community. Now everyone has a right to protect themselves but NW has not changed their rules with today’s criminals so sometimes you have more personal freedom then you would if you were a member of NW.”
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Looks at “terrorist training and combat training”
Hustedde goes on to say he has begun looking at other organizations that would give his the “power” he seems to be seeking.
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Carl Hustedde posted:
“I’m looking at maybe going with the organization called Guardian Angels. They are more of a militant organization taking down drug dealers, terrorist groups, burglars and are really bad ass compared to NW and takes advantage of protection laws to protect our freedom to enforce the law as a citizen. Police that may try to interfere with your role as protecting your community, They send the law packets and everything showing how to exercise your rights freely and what to do if the Police interfere with your protections and rights and how to fight em in court. They also send training DVD’s on terrorist training, combat training and much more. ANYWAY just throwing it out there, I’d really like some feedback on this plzzzzzz because its your village and we are only trying to get it back to normal.”
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That last post brought the comments out but not the ones Hustedde was looking for.
“Going off the deep end”
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Carl Hustedde posted:
Well, The Guardian Angels are Similar to the structure of the neighborhood watch, only it’s an establishment that’s based in the inner-city population. I rode the train in New York many times with them on board. They can’t do any more than the NW patrols. I think you’re thinking of the Black Panther party when you mean militant, LOL!
Commenter 1
Because power-tripping, untrained vigilantism is *always* a good idea. Holy cow man, use your head. Are you trying to get on a domestic terrorist list? You don’t post this kind of stuff publicly! Furthermore, Guardian Angels educate not act, not sure where you got your info from… but you might want to do some more research.
Commenter 2
Watch being the key word people doing what they want is how children with skittles in their hands get killed. Working with the police was a great idea watching reporting testifying that sort of thing makes a difference
Commenter 3
Wow, Carl, I think you’re going off the deep end. Seriously. Yeah, like (name deleted) said, don’t know where you got your info about the Guardian Angels, but they are in no way an ACTIVE vigilante organization.
Another option you could try is to move out
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Police officers chime in
During the same course of conversation Carl Hustedde suggested that Carrier Mills needed some kind of organization, even if it were militant, because there was never a cop either on duty, or on duty when you needed one.
That comment brought several officers into the conversation including Carl’s twin brother Detective Curt Hustedde.
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Hardin County Deputy/Carrier Mills Officer Shawn Turner:
Ok, I am starting to take offense on there are no cops in the Mills…….it’s kind of funny after my 40 in Hardin I put in 29 hrs in the Mills, Duncan puts in 40 and Rubright puts in 40, Stover is back and puts in as much as I do……….so therefore for there to be no cops in the Mills I find that statement to be a farce.
I would say my wife , son and step daughter would argue with the time I’m gone weekly , there are cops in Carrier Mills.
Harrisburg Detective/Carl’s brother Curt Hustedde:
I guess I’m out. This notion about going militant is crazy. Carrier Mills is a nice community with crime well below the national average. It has problems like any other small town but crime in not running rampant in Carrier Mills. Carrier Mills has more that adequate police coverage. I’ve not heard anyone else complain about such a thing.
Deputy/Officer Turner:
Carl, I’m sure there is a want to be a cop in there somewhere but here’s the “new rules” that I personally have observed in my time being a law enforcement officer, within the last 15 years there seems to be a turning point where the cops now have to “play by the rules” and the bad guys don’t……… now, every I has to be dotted and every T crossed, not that that’s a bad thing, just steps up the game a little bit. And bringing in a “militant” group I can assure you would be met with very strong resistance. I am sure they wouldn’t even consider a chapter there. Carrier Mills is mild compared to the other towns in the county, If it were me I’d be glad to live there and just do the watch deal, being a cop isn’t about “cracking heads” , it’s supposed to be about helping people, upholding the laws of the municipality, State of Illinois and the United States. I dunno where you’re getting this vigilante image but it is not the “real world”. And once again I am not trying to be negative to your concerns, but I am being realistic, this is not the New World Order bub.
Carl backs down
As the number of people increased voicing concern over Carl Hustedde’s quick advance from an out-of-control neighborhood watch program to getting terrorist training, he seemed to back down and everybody started apologizing if they were “taken the wrong way.”
Commenter 4:
Carl I think everyone is right man. You need to seriously reconsider things. You form a militant group and people are going to push back when you start throwing weight around you don’t have the ass to back up.
Carl Hustedde:
Hell all this mess over petty things is gonna make me start drinking again
Deputy/Officer Turner:
now I think you are taking what I stated the wrong way lol ….it’s ok, I’ve been told I’m a little harsh at times.
the mention of a militia group in Carrier Mills is a little bit more than “petty” my friend lol
Carl Hustedde:
thats kewl and I do take things out of context I admit i make a mistake or 2 and I do like you to Shawn I think your a great addition to CMPD and a lot of what i gripe about is how stuff was before you got here so plz don’t take offense.
Commenter 3
Carl, the question is, why don’t you just become a cop like your brother?
Carl Hustedde:
A lot of my “kiddy fits” i throw is over the short term lack of Police we had in the village when Stover and Billy was gone and before Shawn was here and even I was scared. These people were breaking the law, thugs drug dealing and people just didn’t feel safe. NOW the whole gang is back which is good and will eventually lead to the end of the Carrier Mills Neighborhood Watch Program or someone else taking it over.
Hustedde drunk with 12-year-old son
Carl Hustedde’s stability could very well be measured by an event in 2009 when he threatened to cave in a woman’s head.
According to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, on December 29, 2009, at approximately 6:16 p.m. Carrier Mills officer Billy Duncan was dispatched to 106 Deborah Ann Drive to investigate a report of someone trying to take a child without permission.
The reporting party, later identified as Carl Hustedde, told telecommunicator Janice Edwards that two females were at his apartment, trying to take his child.
When officer Duncan arrived at the 106 Deborah Ann Drive he noted it was not an apartment but a single-family dwelling and contacted dispatch and advised they must have been given a wrong address.
Telecommunicator Edwards advised that Hustedde had just called back and was now saying the two females that had been trying to take his child had left.
Hustedde advised he didn’t need police after all.
Threatened murder THEN called police
At 6:27 p.m. officer Curt Hustedde contacted officer Duncan and asked him if he would meet him at Carl Hustedde’s apartment, located at 106 Pankey Rd., #2, Carrier Mills.
Duncan met Curt Hustedde at the apartment and was told by Curt that Carl had been drinking and was “totally irrational.”
“Carl has his 12-year-old son inside his apartment,” Curt Hustedde told Duncan.
Curt Hustedde told officer Duncan that Carl did not have any rights to his son and that the boy’s maternal grandmother was his legal guardian.
Curt was talking to Carl by phone.
Carl refused to answer the door or to speak to his brother or Duncan in person.
At approximately 6:35 p.m. deputy Wes Bebout arrived to assist.
Whitney Hustedde told officers she and her sister had been at Carl’s apartment earlier to drop off the boy to spend the night but when they realized Carl had been drinking and was not rational, she decided to turn around and go home with the boy.
She said at that point Carl became agitated and started yelling.
“Carl pushed Whitney away from the boy then pushed her down,” Duncan wrote in his report. “He then threatened to bash her skull in.”
Whitney said that’s when she called officer Curt Hustedde.
And that’s the time Carl called dispatch to report two women trying to take his son.
Sprays officers with pepper-spray
At approximately 6:35, officer Hustedde called David Diefenbach, in order to obtain a key to drunk Carl’s apartment.
The boy inside had been texting his mother telling her he was scared and that Carl was yelling at him.
“We were concerned for the safety of the child and decided to make entry,” Duncan said. “I spoke briefly with Carl and told him we would have to talk face to face with the boy to determine if he was safe or not.”
Duncan said that based on information he had obtained from Whitney Hustedde, he had decided he would arrest Carl for domestic battery.
At approximately 6:48 p.m. Diefenbach arrived on scene and used his master key.
“We announced our entry by shouting ‘POLICE!’,” Duncan said. “Carl was attempting to hold the door shut. He then stood back and as deputy Bebout, officer Hustedde and I moved forward, Carl Hustedde sprayed us with O.C. pepper-spray.”
Had to be TASERed
Duncan pursued Carl into the bedroom at the rear of the apartment.
Carl still had the pepper-spray in his hand and was ordered to drop it or he would be TASERed.
“Carl refused to comply with my order,” Duncan said
And because Carl had actually sprayed all the officers, including his own brother, Duncan deployed his TASER, placed the laser dot-sight on Carl and pulled the trigger.
One lead struck Carl in the right tricep with the other probe striking Carl’s right thigh.
Carl went to the floor but retained his grip on the pepper-spray.
As soon as the TASER finished its five-second cycle, Duncan immediately climbed on top of the rather large man, grabbed his hands and placed him in handcuffs.
Not on his meds
“I spoke with Carl and he told me that he hadn’t taken his prescription medication at all today,” Duncan wrote. “As Carl spoke, I noted a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. He seemed disoriented and was slurring his words. Carl asked if I could bring his medications to the jail with him.”
Officer Curt Hustedde went back to the apartment to collect Carl’s medications and key-ring.
Carl Hustedde was turned over to Saline County Detention Center officers at approximately 7:18 p.m.
He was booked on formal charges of two counts of Aggravated Battery of a Police Officer and one count of Domestic Battery.
On November 9, 2011 Carl Hustedde pleaded guilty to an amended charge of Battery and was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $2,500 in fines and fees.
Maybe it was only a matter of a few days, but the math shows that Hustedde was still on probation when he began posting pictures of himself in a uniform, with a badge, a radio on a utility belt, holding what is purported to be a 9mm handgun.
“And he put a yellow light bar on top of his truck and these goofy magnetic signs with ‘Security’ stuck to the sides and tailgate,” said one bemused Carrier Mills resident. “That idiot is going to kill or get somebody killed if somebody doesn’t stop this crap.”
In the past Carl Hustedde has been charged with Disturbing the Peace, and Driving Under the Influence.
His financial difficulties has lead to judgments against him on behalf of First National Bank of Harrisburg in the amount of $601.16 with another $59 in court cost and $866 on behalf of Saline Valley Diagnostics Radiology with $137 in court costs.
Disclosure publisher blocked
In covering the story, Disclosure Publisher Jack Howser traveled to Pankey Apartments, drove into the parking lot, and had finished taking approximately four pictures of Hustedde’s truck with the lights and security magnets on it, when he was accosted.
Howser was walking back to his car when an older man and a young man walked up, stepped in front of him and asked him if he needed help.
“No, I am done here,” Howser replied stepping around the old man and walking to his car.
“Can I help you with something,” the older man asked stepping in front of Howser again.
“No, thanks. I am fine,” Howser said, stepped around the older man and continued walking.
“What’s your name?” the older man asked.
“I don’t have to answer your questions,” Howser responded.
“I own this place!” the older man said as he stepped in Howser’s path again and demanded his name.
Howser paused, locked eyes with the old man and said, “I am done here and am leaving.”
“Get his license plate number!” yelled the older man to a 20-something kid standing behind him.
Both the older man and kid walked behind Howser’s car.
“I wouldn’t block my exit,” Howser said. “That is a good way to get your dumb asses run over.”
He finally got it!
“I got it! I got it!” screeched the older man.
“That’s fine, go right on ahead,” Howser said, opened the door to his car and was getting in when the 20-something started across the parking lot.
“I am going to kick your ass motherf*&ker!” he shouted.
That’s when Howser stopped getting in the car.
Howser’s wife Angela, who was aiming and cuing up a video app on her cell phone, could be heard saying, “Shit. Get in the car.”
Howser smiled, winked at his wife, stood back up, turned back around, locked eyes with the 20-something and said, “Then walk your lanky ass over here and give it your best shot… bitch!” all of it caught on about 13 seconds of video.
Howser took one step away from the car and that’s when the 20-something averted his eyes, started walking backward and, after he had passed the older man, actually stepped behind him.
“That’s what I thought,” Howser said, got in his car and left.
When asked jokingly, in passing, by authorities later if he had been in Carrier Mills Howser said yes, “and somebody should train these idiots to know something about the people they block or corner. Threatening the wrong person with some serious military training could prove traumatic.”
Unclear of status
It is unclear if Carl Hustedde is through trying to create some group so he and his ilk can start taking care of “stuff” before “moving on to bigger things.”
If the confrontation with Howser is any indication, there still exists an antagonistic element in Carrier Mills who see themselves as some kind of modern day crusaders.
Disclosure will be checking to see if the Carrier Mills Neighborhood Watch actually gets off the ground or if Carl Hustedde has given up since his disappointment over not being able to pepper-spray and TASER people.