FBI Investigating Whether Census Worker’s Hanging Involved Anti-Govt Sentiments

It’s scary when a census worker might be the target of anti-government sentiment. There’s pockets in America where the hatred for the government runs deep, from farmers to militia members.

kentucky-map

DEVLIN BARRETT and JEFFREY McMURRAY
Associated Press

When Bill Sparkman told retired trooper Gilbert Acciardo that he was going door-to-door collecting census data in rural Kentucky, the former cop drew on years of experience for a warning: “Be careful.”

The 51-year-old Sparkman was found this month hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery with the word “fed” scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

“Even though he was with the Census Bureau, sometimes people can view someone with any government agency as ‘the government.’ I just was afraid that he might meet the wrong character along the way up there,” said Acciardo, who directs an after-school program at an elementary school where Sparkman was a frequent substitute teacher.

For Full Story

Leave a Reply