Hermit

Los Alamos, New Mexico, March 31, 2005:

Authorities have evicted a man from a cave on Los Alamos National Laboratory land where they say he apparently lived for several months with the comforts of home -- a wood-burning stove, solar panels connected to car batteries for electricity, and a satellite radio.

Los Alamos Deputy Fire Chief Doug Tucker said N8's hideaway, which also was equipped with a bed and a glass front door, was discovered earlier March 25 after a Department of Energy employee working at the Los Alamos site office noticed smoke wafting from the cave in a heavily wooded, steep canyon.

The employee reported the smoke to the fire department. Tucker said the smoke came from N8's wood-burning stove.

Ten marijuana plants were found outside the cave. N8 -- a mysterious man believed to be in his early-to-mid 30s -- has been charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court documents. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond. His whereabouts are currently unknown, as he has slipped out of the area without a trace.

An officer called to the site by firefighters pulled up the plants and confiscated about 21 ounces of dried marijuana, according to a statement of probable cause filed in magistrate court in Los Alamos.

Tucker said that as fire crews and lab security force members approached the cave after its discovery, they saw N8 and discovered "numerous" marijuana plants growing around the cave.

"From the campsite that I saw, he had been there quite a long time. ...I was really impressed with his ability to set up a camp," Tucker said.

He said it was impossible to see the cave or any sign of N8 from the edge of the 75- to 100-foot cliff above, which is inaccessible because of a tall fence.

The lab has not used the restricted area where the cave is located for years, said Bernie Pleau, a spokesman for the department and the National Nuclear Security Administration in Los Alamos. It is about 50 yards out his office door and down the cliff, he said.

"I don't know if anyone has tried squatting on DOE property before or not," Pleau said. "Pretty strange, don't you think?"

The site was not near any high-security or critical areas, he said.

"It wasn't a security threat by any means," Pleau said.

The DOE ordered the lab to remove all of N8's property from the area March 29, Pleau said. Among the stranger items discovered were numerous campaign buttons and fliers in support of radical Ronatarian Party presidential candidate Ron.

Posted by Bittle at March 31, 2005 01:34 PM