News
Top Story Spotlight
Hundreds line the streets of Sumner for the annual Fourth of July parade
From young to old, multiple people ride upon the Sumner Saddle Club float Saturday during the "Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future" parade.
Steve and Sharon Hollander are the Sumner "Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future" parade grand marshals on Saturday, July 4.
Marlin Berg rides his horse through the Sumner parade Saturday as part of the Sumner Saddle Club.
Keith Rudeen of Elm Creek drives his team of Belgian horses with a wagon down Fifth Street at the Sumner Fourth of July parade Saturday morning.
Terri Farrell drives a golf cart down Fifth Street in Sumner for the Overton Golf Course Saturday morning.
State Sen. Teresa Ibach chats with her husband, Greg, while slowly making their way through the Sumner Fourth of July parade Saturday morning.
SUMNER — Hundreds of people from all over lined the streets of Sumner for the annual Fourth of July parade Saturday.
Some were new to the occasion, but many were annual attendees, including the Kenton family.
Tammy Kenton, a Sumner native and current S-E-M teacher, sat beside her husband, Chuck, their son, daughter-in-law and grandson on West Fifth Street awaiting the start of the parade.
Except for about eight years when the family lived in Canada during the summers, Tammy Kenton said she's attended every Sumner parade "since forever."
"My sons were always in the parade from the time they were babies until we left for Canada," she said.
Kenton said this year's parade felt more special as America celebrated its 250th birthday.
"I think there's going to be a lot of floats celebrating our 250 years of freedom and what people went through," she said. "It just makes it extra special because I think more people have time to reflect and say, wow, 250 years is really something to celebrate and be more appreciative."
Kenton looked toward her family, taking in how the tradition has come full circle as her grandson attended his second year at the parade.
"It's just nice that they're here because they, like I said, kind of grew up with it also," she said. "And so, it's just really special when it's a tradition. And I'm all about tradition ... and doing some of the things that I did as a kid, and to know that they appreciate it as much as I do is kind of really special."
As first-timers, Harlee Garner and her husband, Mitch, brought their son Parker and foster daughter to enjoy the hot morning of the parade.
Garner said they were excited to "see what the hype was all about."
"We've never been here and we heard the parade is huge," she said.
Aside from the blistering hot morning, the family enjoyed gathering candy, eating popsicles and seeing all the floats, horses and the fly-over airplanes.
After the parade, some families moved over to the rodeo grounds to watch as the second day of the 75th annual Sumner Rodeo began at 1:30 p.m.
Around Town
The Around Town section of the Clipper-Herald is to notify the public of upcoming events and to publicize pertinent information from individuals, groups or service organizations.
LEXINGTON HAPPENINGS
Lexington Area Farmer's Market at 237 Hardware on Saturdays from 8-11 a.m. and Tuesdays from 3-6 p.m.
Computer skills and job readiness program with Lutheran Family Services (800 N. Washington St.) Tuesday, July 7 from 2-4 p.m. Requirements: at least level 2 English proficiency, refugees within five years in the U.S. and open to all who test at level 2 or higher. What you will learn: basic computer skills, typing skills, career exploration and job search strategies. For questions email: handy.diaz@onelfs.org.
21st annual Golf Tournament for the Lexington Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, July 8 from 2-7 p.m. at Lakeside Country Club at Johnson Lake.
Summer Teen Movie Night Wednesday, July 8 from 6-8 p.m. at the Lexington Public Library for ages 11-14. Register by June 29. $10 per teen.
Lexington Mobile Food Pantry Thursday, July 9 at 3 p.m. at the Dawson County Fairgrounds.
Rooted in Nebraska: A Community Engagement Series at the Lexington Public Library Saturday, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Ladies Night at the Fair" Thursday, July 16 from 4-9 p.m. at the Dawson County Fair Commercial Building. Vendors, door prizes and cocktails.
The Platte Valley Auto Rodeo will be held Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18 during the Dawson County Fair at 8 p.m. each night. Free BBQ meal with rodeo tickets each night at 6 p.m. Ticket prices: $12 for adults, $5 for ages 6-12 and ages 5 and under are free.
Live music lineup for the Dawson County Fair and Rodeo: Casey Chytka on Thursday, July 16 from 9 p.m. to midnight; The Punching Pandas on Friday, July 17 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.; and Nate Keim on Saturday, July 18 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Lexington Area Christian Women's Connection presents "Happy 250th Birthday America" Tuesday, July 21 at 11:30 a.m. at Kirk's. Speaker is Linn Ann Huntington from Hays, Kansas. Reservations and cancellations by noon Monday, July 20. Call Sheri 308-320-0952 or Jonelle at 308-325-8279.
Elementary school bag Back-2-School event Thursday, July 20 from 9 a.m. to noon or until gone at 931 W. Seventh St., in Lexington. Sponsored by Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska.
Wine & Wings, Beer & Brats fundraiser night for the Blanche Senior Scholarship at Mac's Creek Thursday, Aug. 20 from 5-9 p.m.
Parkview Baptist Church holds a food pantry every third Saturday of the month at the Refuge Building (1105 Park St.) in Lexington.
The Dawson County History Museum is hosting “Coffee with Carol” the first Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Lexington Lions Club meets at 7 p.m. every fourth Monday of the month at the Lexington Grand Generation Center.
Lexington Rotary Club meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at Dawson County Annex Building at noon. For more information or to join call 308-325-7006.
The Dawson County Democrats meet at 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at the Los Jalapeños Restaurant.
American Legion in Lexington meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles.
WIC Clinic Sites, Dawson County: Lexington – Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska Building, 931 W. Seventh St., Tuesday through Thursday the first 4 full weeks for each month.
RYDE Transit — Public Transportation is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule a ride in Dawson County or Lexington call 308-324-3670. Public Transportation is easy to ride and open to everyone.
COZAD HAPPENINGS
Community Chat: Wednesday, July 8 at noon with Emily Hetzel with Cozad Community Health Systems to talk about senior life solutions at the Wilson Public Library.
Stop by Security First Bank every Thursday in July for Root Beer Float Day.
Dine In/Drive Thru Burger Night with free grocery bag Thursday, July 9 for 5-6:30 p.m. at Grand Generation Center.
S.W.A.N ribbon cutting at Wilson Public Library's Art Garden Thursday, July 8 at 2:30 p.m.
Stomp Chomp Roar - The Tale of America's Greatest Dinosaur Show Monday, July 13 at 1 p.m. at the Wilson Public Library.
Bands, Brews and BBQs will be held Saturday, July 11 with the Lemon Fresh Day band headlining the night and opener by Heather Wellman. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. More information on ticket sales will be provided at a later date.
Monthly Coffee Chat with hospice Chaplain Pastor Robert Litzenberger Thursday, July 16 at 9:30 a.m. at the Grand Generation Center.
Pediatric Rehab Library event Friday, July 17 at 11 a.m. at the Wilson Public Library.
Outdoor Movie sponsored by Wilson Public Library Friday, July 17 on the east side of Cozad Middle School on the practice football field at 9:30 p.m. Call the library for the movie title 308-784-2019.
Maker Market every Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. starting June 16 at The Green Space, east of 222 Hardware.
The Writing Society meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Wilson Public Library. Open to all writers of all levels and genres.
Blood Pressure Clinic at the Cozad Grand Generation Center the third Tuesday of every month at 11 a.m.
The Cozad Grand Generation Center has Home Delivered Meals to the Community Monday — Friday. If you would like to receive Home Delivered Meals or would like to pick up a Curbside Meal at 410 W. Ninth St. from 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m., please call us at 308-784-2747 by 9:30 a.m. that morning, so we can arrange everything for your convenience.
The Cozad Grand Generation Center Bus is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule a ride in Cozad call 308-784-2747.
GOTHENBURG HAPPENINGS
Free swimming pool admission, sponsored by Gothenburg Health, on the following Saturdays: July 11 and July 25. For all ages.
Livin' Out Loud is set for Aug. 15-16 at Lake Helen.
ELWOOD HAPPENINGS
Elwood Lions Club - Gosper County Fair golf tournament Wednesday, July 22 at 10 a.m. The 3-person scramble has registration at 9:30 a.m. at Lakeside Country Club at Johnson Lake.
MILLER HAPPENINGS
Miller's First Annual Summer Maker's Market July 17-18. Located at 322 W. Omaha Avenue, Miller.
AREA HAPPENINGS
NeFarmTok 6th Annual Golf Tournament with silent auction and live auction to fundraise for the Chet and Lindsay Rosner family of Cozad. Location is Humphrey on Saturday, July 11. To signup for the events or make a donation, visit: nefarmtok.com or contact: cyndischure70@gmail.com.
ON THE BIG SCREEN
LEXINGTON
Majestic Theatre, 615 N. Washington St.
Ticket Pricing: Adult $6, Students/Senior Citizens $5, Child $4
SHOWTIMES:
"Toy Story 5" (PG) - July 8; Wednesday at 7 p.m.
"Moana" (PG) - July 10-12, 15 and 17-19, 22; Fridays/Saturdays at 7 p.m., Sundays at 6 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
COZAD
Fox Theater, 100 E. Eighth St.
Ticket Pricing: Adult $9, Student/Seniors/Military $8, 5 and under $6.50, Matinee (all ages) $6.50
SHOWTIMES:
"Minions and Monsters" (PG) - July 7-9; Tuesday-Thursday at 7:20 p.m.
"Toy Story 5" (PG) - July 7-9; Tuesday-Thursday at 7:10 p.m.
“Supergirl” (PG-13) - July 7-9; Tuesday-Thursday at 7 p.m.
"Smurfs" (PG) - Wednesday, July 8 at 2 p.m.
GOTHENBURG
Sun Theatre, 404 10th St.
Ticket Pricing: Adult $5, Child (12 and under) $3, Senior Citizen $4
SHOWTIMES:
"Supergirl" (PG-13) - July 10-12; Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES
The Lexington Public Library hours are: Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m. — 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. — 5 p.m., Sunday: Closed. Watch for lots of fun programs and activities this summer. Also, we are continuing curbside services; call the library at 308-324-2151 for information.
Novel Stitchers meets on Tuesdays from 3-5 p.m. in the Board Room of the Library.
Storytime meets at the Library on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
The Wilson Public Library normal hours are: Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m. — 6 p.m., Friday: 9 a.m. — 5 p.m. and Saturday: 9 a.m. — 1 p.m. Public and private meetings have resumed, with 24-hour notice appreciated. Limits to how many attendees based upon room need, what equipment is available and other restrictions can be found by calling us at 308-784-2019 or stopping at the front desk. Normal policies about room rental can be found under Policies at wilsonpubliclibrary.org.
LEXINGTON GRAND GENERATION CENTER
The exercise room is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
MONDAY
10 a.m. - Frog
12:45 p.m. - I've Got It
TUESDAY
8 a.m. - PEO
12:45 p.m. - Pool
1 p.m. - Bunco
2:30 p.m. - Hot Cookies
WEDNESDAY
12:45 p.m. - Cards
1 p.m. - Frog
THURSDAY
12:45 p.m. - Farkle
12:45 p.m. - Pool
FRIDAY
Noon - Birthday presenter
12:45 p.m. - Cards
1 p.m. - Frog
LEXINGTON GRAND GENERATION CENTER MENU
Homemade bread every day. Choice of skim, 2% or chocolate milk. No reservations are needed except for large groups. Serving time: 11:30 a.m. Please call 308-324-2498 by 10 a.m. for delivery or carryout meals.
MONDAY
Orange Chicken, Rice with Veggies, Cali Blend Veggies, Cold Veggie Salad, Applesauce
TUESDAY
Cook's Choice Casserole, Diced Potatoes, Cream Corn, Pineapple
WEDNESDAY
Ham, Potato Casserole, Carrots, Peaches
THURSDAY
Chicken Strips with Gravy, Boiled Potatoes, Peas
FRIDAY
Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Green Beans, Mixed Fruit, Dinner Roll, Dessert
COZAD GRAND GENERATION CENTER
When Cozad schools are closed due to inclement weather, the center will also be closed. Check KRVN or the TV for weather related closings.
MONDAY
10 a.m. - Free Groceries
TUESDAY
Noon - Rotary
1:15 p.m. - Foot Clinic
WEDNESDAY
10 a.m. - Free Groceries
12:30 p.m. - Pinochle
THURSDAY
1 p.m. - Tai Chi
5 p.m. - Burger Night
COZAD GRAND GENERATION CENTER MENU
Salad Bar is available daily with meals served from 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.
MONDAY
Ham Salad Sandwich, Potato Soup, Veggie Sticks, Fruit Cocktail, Cherry Bites
TUESDAY
Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, Peaches, Ice Cream
WEDNESDAY
BBQ Meatballs, Baked Potato, Brussel Sprouts, Ambrosia Salad, Pears, Dessert
THURSDAY
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, Mixed Veggies, Red Applesauce, Cookies
FRIDAY
Goulash, Peas, Fruit Mix, Garlic Bread, Cake
FARNAM SENIOR CENTER
The center will be closed on Fridays until further notice. When Eustis-Farnam Schools are closed due to the weather, the Senior Center will also be closed. Call ahead by 9:30 a.m. to get a meal 308-569-2359.
MONDAY
Meatloaf, Scalloped Potatoes, Corn, Pineapple, Dinner Roll
TUESDAY
Taco Bake, Lettuce Salad, Mixed Veggies, Watermelon
WEDNESDAY
Tuna Casserole, Coleslaw, Peas, Peaches, Dinner Roll
THURSDAY
Oven Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots, Cantaloupe, Dinner Roll
GOSPER COUNTY SENIOR CENTER
All meals are served with vegetables, fruit and a sweet item. All meals are subject to change without notice. Please call by 10 a.m. for your reservation 308-785-2500. Suggested meal price is $8 for 60 and above and $9 for under 60.
MONDAY
Orange Chicken
TUESDAY
Pizza
WEDNESDAY
Hot Turkey Sandwich
THURSDAY
Beef and Cabbage Casserole
FRIDAY
Egg Salad Sandwich
ORGANIZATIONS
It Works Group: AA meetings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. at 303 E. Sixth St., in Lexington.
First Christian Church NA: meets Sundays at 7 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m. 1206 N. Erie St., in Lexington.
Westside Group: AA/NA: open meeting on Monday and Friday nights from 7-8 p.m. Meetings are held at Grace Lutheran Church, 105 E. 17th St., Lexington, use the south door.
Women's Group: meets every Tuesday from 7-8 p.m. on the second floor lounge at the Dawson County Courthouse (700 N. Washington St.)
Celebrate Recovery: Meetings at 7 p.m. on Fridays at Parkview Baptist Church’s Refuge Building (1105 Park St., Lexington) Contact: 308-324-4410.
Four Roads Group AA: meetings are held on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m., Fridays from 7-8 p.m. and Sundays from 7 p.m. at 1801 W. 18th St., in Lexington.
Grupo Lexington AA (Spanish Speaking): open meetings on Saturdays from 8-9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon at 114 W. 6th St. in Lexington.
Group Nueva Vida Lexington (Spanish Speaking): open meetings on Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m. at 114 W. Eighth St., in Lexington.
Full of Grace: Meetings from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Nazarene Church at 919 H St., in Cozad.
Southview Group: Meetings from 8-9 p.m. on Wednesdays at 1804 Papio Lane in Cozad.
SMART Recovery meets at St. Peter’s in the Valley Episcopal Church, 905 East 13th St., Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m., Saturdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Sumner AA Group: meets Sundays and Tuesdays from 8-9 p.m. at 205 E. Fifth Avenue, in Sumner. For more information call 308-325-5827.
Bertrand Thurs Night Group: Meetings from 8-9 p.m. on Thursdays at Hope Lutheran Church, 74094 Road 436 in Smithfield. Call 308-785-3567 or 308-472-3376.
Odie Group AA/NA: meetings at 8 p.m. on Sundays in Elwood at 501 Calvert Avenue.
Pony Express Group AA: meetings are held from 7:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays at the Gothenburg Evangelical Free Church (515 18th St.) in Gothenburg.
Thirsty Thursday by the Cemetery: Meetings held on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church (2002 27th St.) in Gothenburg.
Parkinson’s Disease Support Group meetings are held the second Thursday each month at 2 p.m. at Lexington Regional Health Center (1201 N. Erie St., Lexington). For more information contact Dixie Menke at 308-325-5350.
Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska Immunization Clinic, first and third Mondays every month: Open 10 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. by appointment at 931 W. Seventh St., Lexington. Previous vaccination records required. Contact 308-325-3436 or 308-325-3169.
Dawson/Gosper County CASA: seeking Volunteers. CASA Volunteers are everyday people from all walks of life, who advocate through the court system in the interests of children. Contact 308-324-7364.
News
Top Story Spotlight
Nebraskan accused in plot to kill the president seemed to blossom in college before troubling turn, friends and classmates say
In his public activities online, the change Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez hoped to sow seemed nonviolent.
The 31-year-old Omahan made connections on TikTok, where he chatted with other users about holding local governments accountable for ICE operations, filing public records requests and, most recently, “building a people-owned supply chain” to eliminate economic dependence on big corporations.
Hermosillo Alvarez
But in private messages reviewed by the Flatwater Free Press, Alvarez — now facing federal charges for his alleged role in a plot to kill the president — hinted that he was preparing for violence, worrying his online friends who found them increasingly troubling and Alvarez himself increasingly untethered.
On Jan. 24, Alvarez sent a message to a woman he had chatted with for nearly a year.
“We are survivalists. And soldiers 2nd if this wish to be,” he wrote in the message viewed by the Flatwater Free Press. “For that we don’t talk. We act. . . . . When the fight comes we will know what to do.”
Four days later, another: “And lastly if I have been unclear before it has been intentional. There’s a lot of big projects in the works. Some aren’t ready to be disclosed.”
Now the Nebraska man stands accused of being the “mastermind” behind an alleged plot to attack the June 14 UFC event at the White House and assassinate President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors allege in messages shared on the encrypted messaging app Signal, Alvarez identified posts near the White House for snipers and explosive-laden drone launches, intent on targeting Trump and others.
At a Monday court hearing, Alvarez’s attorney, Stu Dornan, argued that Alvarez tried to cancel the attack two days before it was scheduled to occur and never bought a ticket to travel there.
FBI Special Agent Seena Ali Soheilian said Alvarez sought to reschedule the attack only after one alleged co-conspirator was arrested and two others encountered car trouble.
Charging documents indicate the group had grievances about government corruption, the Epstein files and data centers.
The FBI arrested Alvarez at his Omaha apartment June 14 as he was returning from the pool with his wife, Soheilian said. Federal agents who searched his home found a drone, a shotgun, 50 shells and a flamethrower, Soheilian said.
“The reason the disaster didn’t happen is because the FBI was able to stop it,” said Don Kleine of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Those who knew Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez are left to wonder how a man who graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney six years ago and who had no prior criminal record could now find himself facing a long federal prison sentence.
“Very surprised,” said Ron Bubak, who coached Alvarez in junior high basketball in Cozad, where Alvarez grew up. “That’s not the kid I knew.”
A Nebraska-based terrorism expert who has studied how extremist groups radicalize online said there is no formula predicting what would drive anyone to tip from activism into alleged violence.
But Ares Boira Lopez, a researcher at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, said radicalization often includes shared grievances, unmet social or emotional needs and lack of identity or purpose in daily life.
“We don’t have enough information (in this case), but it is ... actually not uncommon for people to say, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t have expected it — they seemed like a normal person,’” she said. “That can happen.”
A Flatwater Free Press dive into Alvarez’s past does offer evidence of how a man who until recently seemed to be living a routine life could find himself in shackles Monday, seated before a federal judge.
****
Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez’s Nebraska roots reach into the central part of the state.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the native of Mexico first came to the United States in 2001 as a 6-year-old on a visitor visa and then illegally remained in the country after it expired.
He ultimately settled with his family in Cozad. Dawson County has been a magnet for immigrant families since the former Tyson meatpacking plant opened in nearby Lexington in the 1980s.
Alvarez later gained legal status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which granted lawful immigration standing to undocumented children brought to the United States.
Known as Abraham Hermosillo, he graduated in 2014 from Cozad High School, where he ran cross country and track.
“He was always a quiet kid,” said Bubak, who taught and coached in Cozad for 26 years. “In all the interactions I had with him, he was a good kid.”
One Cozad classmate, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Alvarez appeared to blossom after he enrolled in 2014 at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
At UNK, Alvarez was inducted into a national honor society for college freshmen. He was active in a fraternity and selected as a student government representative.
He also served as a student diplomat in the school’s admissions department, giving campus tours to prospective students.
Alvarez majored in industrial distribution. The program is known for its rigorous requirements, including classes in electricity and electronics as well as finance and accounting.
In 2016, Alvarez was featured in a campus Facebook post where he spoke of struggling with epilepsy as a child, which he said made it difficult to learn and play sports.
“A lot of people assumed that I would never go to college or amount to anything, but after all the hard work and dedication, it paid off,” the then-UNK junior was quoted. “My advice to kids is to ... chase your dreams and never give up.”
But there are also indications Alvarez’s path at Kearney was not completely smooth.
He did not graduate in 2018 with his entering class, instead earning his degree in July 2020.
The degree he was awarded was in industrial technology, more general than his industrial distribution major.
Four professors from his department either declined to talk to Flatwater or did not respond to messages.
A UNK spokesman confirmed Alvarez’s graduation but declined to comment further, citing student privacy.
Alvarez’s LinkedIn profile suggests that, after graduation, he worked as a supply chain specialist for a Kearney hospital until March 2022. It then appears he went into business for himself.
In 2020, he co-founded a photography and videography production company in Grand Island.
By 2024, Alvarez was living in an apartment in Omaha near 120th and West Dodge. He got married that same year.
In a phone call with Flatwater, his wife declined to talk, asking that her family’s privacy be respected.
Records indicate Alvarez for a time owned a downtown Grand Island property that housed a dress shop and a fixer-upper home in east Omaha. Records also show that three years ago, he made an unusual property purchase.
In July 2023, Alvarez bought a former United Methodist church building in Western, a town of 200 in southeast Nebraska’s Saline County.
The previous owner said the century-old brick structure had been used as storage for decades when a real estate agent inquired, saying his client wanted to convert it into a home. Records show Alvarez purchased the old church for $5,000.
There is no indication Alvarez ever rehabilitated the church property or lived there. But it would come into play in the alleged plot.
****
To his online friends, Alvarez was known as “unitedworldwide444,” “Fortress” or “resilience-spirit-of-the-west.”
Members of an online group on the app Discord, a communications platform popular among gamers, didn’t know his real name until he was arrested, according to logs viewed by Flatwater.
But some members of the group also indicated they weren’t surprised.
“(He) wanted to use your network to dismantle and overthrow the Epstein class and murder multiple high influence targets. He got mad when I expressed caution and told (moderators),” one woman who had chatted with him wrote on Discord.
That woman, 27-year-old Margaret, spoke with Flatwater on condition her full name not be used.
Margaret said she had chatted with Alvarez for nearly a year before cutting off contact in January when his rhetoric intensified.
She first met Alvarez through TikTok, where they monitored ICE activity and gravitated toward survivalist content — videos that taught viewers things like how to build an emergency generator, Margaret said.
On TikTok, many of Alvarez’s posts focused on a plan to form a new supply chain outside of traditional channels, an idea harkening back to his college studies.
He kept in touch with TikTok companions on Discord. It was on that platform where he began to trouble some of them, Margaret said.
In one November message, Alvarez told her the sun “is looking funny” and predicted “major blackouts” for Puerto Rico and Cuba. In another, he said “things are getting bad” in the United States, predicting that the “cracks will begin around” January.
Then came the messages about the upcoming “fight” and the “big projects” that were in the works.
In the indictment, federal law enforcement officials laid out what one such project may have been: the planned June 14 White House attack.
Federal prosecutors allege Alvarez was the man under the username “Shepherd” who served as the plan’s architect, conspiring with 18 others, seven of whom are now also facing charges.
“This is the best action I see. Position your teams in the purple dots (counter sniper and drones) Long range (circled area) (great shot) Easy out into the river,” Shepherd wrote June 10 on Signal, according to an FBI affidavit.
The next day, Shepherd allegedly shared with the group a screenshot that listed potential targets. They included “1,” who the FBI said it believes was likely Trump; “VP,” allegedly Vice President JD Vance; “N,” allegedly Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; and “Musk,” referring to Elon Musk.
Shepherd allegedly told another member during a discussion on drones that he wanted “as many and as deadly as we can get.” Shepherd also instructed the other members who were part of the planned attack to take back roads or the Potomac River down to the “pick up location.”
The complaint says Shepherd also provided a photograph of the church that Alvarez owned in Western as a “safe zone” where the conspirators would meet afterward.
At Monday’s hearing, Soheilian, the FBI agent, said Alvarez had cast the Signal group as one focused on building off-the-grid homesteads. Alvarez nodded as the agent testified.
But the agent also testified about the sniper perches, escape routes and the church.
Alvarez met with a co-defendant, a Missouri man, in Omaha on June 12, Soheilian said. Alvarez gave him a 3D printer and $1,200 cash in exchange for the shotgun that agents found at Alvarez’s home, the agent said.
Soheilian accused the Omaha man of mailing ballistic plates and two-way talk radios to others.
On Signal, Alvarez said the drones should be outfitted with explosives strong enough to pierce police body armor, Soheilian testified, while Alvarez shook his head “no.”
As agents confronted Alvarez with his own chat logs, Soheilian testified, Alvarez had acknowledged: “It doesn’t look good.”
After Monday’s hearing, Dornan, his attorney, told reporters Alvarez has “never been convicted of anything.”
“He’s got a good job,” he said. “He’s married. His wife and family members are supportive of him. So that shows a lot about his character, in my opinion.”"
Alvarez faces two federal felony counts, including a murder conspiracy charge carrying a possible life sentence.
Alvarez also faces deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials last week put an immigration hold on him.
For those who knew Alvarez, perhaps as jarring as the charges was his mug shot taken after his arrest: The bearded man with thick hair is smiling broadly in his orange jail garb.
He wore the same beard, similar garb and metal shackles when he walked into a federal courtroom Monday morning in Lincoln and sat next to his attorney. He was no longer smiling.
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