‘SOVEREIGN’ UPDATES: (1) Tennessee Man Indicted In Alleged ‘Quit Claim’ Deeds Scam; (2) Virginia Man Facing Trial On Gun Charge Allegedly Had Driver’s License From ‘Kingdom Of Heaven’; (3) Texas Man Allegedly Told Cops To Bring ‘Body Bags’

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a links post presented in the form of briefs.

Three significant stories about purported “sovereign citizens” — all from different areas of the United States — have been published and/or broadcast in recent days. The venues include Tennessee, Virginia and Texas.

1.) WMC TV is reporting that Devitoe Farmer, 44, of Memphis, has been indicted on federal charges of filing bogus “quit claim” deeds against foreclosure properties — in effect, to cloud their titles and take control of real estate without paying for it.

Farmer also faces state-level charges.

Read WMC TV story originally filed in March 2011 and updated last week. (There is an accompanying video report.)

2.) Randy Linamen, 60, of Manassas, Va., faces trial this week on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and driving while his license was revoked, Northern Virginia Daily reports.

Linamen’s case started with a traffic stop by police last year. When approached by officers, Linamen allegedly produced a document that purported to be a driver’s license from the “Kingdom of Heaven,” NVDaily reports.

Read story.

3.) John Joe Gray, accused nearly 12 years ago of assaulting a Texas state trooper, has avoided a court date since the alleged incident unfolded, USA Today reports.

Local authorities have feared a violent confrontation with Gray for years, the newspaper reports.

Gray had told an investigator that, if law-enforcement officers came for him, they’d better bring “body bags,” USA Today reports.

The stalemate is “perhaps the longest-running standoff in the U.S. between law enforcement and a fugitive living in plain sight,” the newspaper reports.

Read the story in USA Today.