Illinois Prisoner Says He Wants His Own Country
UPDATED 07/21/11 5:45 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Illinois prisoner believes he was falsely arrested and framed, but something like being released or exonerated wouldn't satisfy him.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Dave Marsett reports, Johnathan Pinney, 26, wants his very own country.
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In an 18-page filing in U.S. District Court in Chicago Tuesday, Pinney accused state and federal officials of repeatedly violating his rights over the years, including by falsely arresting him.
As compensation, Pinney says he won't accept just any existing country. He wants the U.S. to grant him uninhabited land to start a new one.
The lawsuit says the territory should have enough land to sustain 5,000 people who would join him later. He says land in Alaska would be "acceptable."
In the 18-page handwritten court filing, Pinney goes into excruciating detail about his own background and claims that he has been subjected to numerous arrests on false accusations. Then he requests "emmancipation" (sic) from this country's jurisdiction and recognition as a forign soverinty (sic) with diplomatic immunity" and "financial restitution" of $50 billion for his perceived mistreatment at the hands of the law.
He also demands "certified clearance of all scientiffic (sic) advancements and developments made on American institutions," including those deemed "top secret," and access to "such laboratories as the legendary Area 51 and others."
For his new country, Pinney demands an adequate water supply that "may be deliverable by an aqueduct, underground vein or otherwise," and that tropical or foreign lands would be considered provided that "native pest control" and other requirements are considered. A "formation of land mass through the stimulation of volcanic activity" would also be an option that Pinney would "not oppose."
Pinney is now serving a four-year sentence for aggravated battery to a peace officer. A series of reports on the Web site MyWebTimes indicated that he was convicted of biting a police officer at the Community Hospital of Ottawa in January 2006.
He had been found mentally unfit to stand trial more than once, but he was granted a request to represent himself once he was found fit in 2008, the published reports said.
At trial, he came to court with his face darkened with pencil outlines around his eyes and mouth, and with his beard in braids, the publication said. MyWebTimes writer Dan Churney compared him to Alice Cooper and Rich Koz's "Svengoolie" character.
He also claimed that he practiced an "evil" religion before trial, and wore attire that featured pentagrams and a Latin phrase he translated as "Villainy and guilt make of whom they contaminate a likened character," MyWebTimes reported.
Pinney was convicted by a jury and given 2 1/2 years of conditional discharge, since he had already been in custody since his arrest. But he was resentenced to prison last year after being arrested on charges of trespass and disorderly conduct, MyWebTimes reported.
There is also a public MySpace page for a Johnathan Pinney from Illinois, with nickname "Pentagrammation."
On the page, he also maintainted a blog in which he referenced the criminal case against him. In one rambling post, he claimed he had been "hunted by police… condemned from public presence… forced to live in gutters ditches and sewage resevuars (sic) ... denied employment.... all because i bit an arm which was being used to saw against my face by a police officer...."
The MySpace page also suggests a strong belief in aliens, to the point where Pinney writes he hopes to get into a committed relationship with a woman, but wouldn't mind if it meant "leaving this world and marrying an alien with similar attonomy (sic) and genetics."
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