The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an officer who allegedly had posted an extremist militia flag on his personal Facebook page.
Craig Cheatham of WCPO reports that Deputy Michael Stemmerding posted a Three Percenters (3%ers) flag as his Facebook cover photo in December and has had it there for six weeks.
“The FBI has described the ‘3% group as ‘a radical militia’ involved in an anti-government movement and that its members ‘ascribe to extreme anti-government, pro-gun beliefs,’ according to affidavits filed by federal agents in criminal cases that include the Jan. 6 riot at the United States Capitol,” Cheatham reports.
Cheatham asked Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey about Stemmerding.
"Yeah, it's very concerning, very serious," McGuffey told Cheatham. "We began an inquiry right away."
Cheatham also reports that Stemmerding previously had made anti-Muslim comments on Instagram and temporarily had his badge and gun taken away.
Cheatham further investigates the issues behind Stemmerding’s posts, talking to a former senior analyst for the Department of Homeland Security and researching recent actions from other extremists. Read his full investigation for WCPO.
Southern Poverty Law Center recently released its “Year in Hate and Extremism” report for 2021, saying that there were 21 hate groups in Ohio in 2020.