http://www.msnbc.com/local/kxas/182216.asp

Fugitive holed up in Texas ranch John Joe Gray is charged with
assaulting a state trooper

HENDERSON CO., Aug 16 - A man charged with assaulting a state trooper
is holed up on his East Texas ranch. Surrounded by armed family members
and other supporters, he’s vowing not to be taken alive.

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‘Joe Gray is the kind of mouse, he'd rather hide behind women and
children than stand up and fight.
He ain't a man, he's a mouse.’  -Keith Tarkington Father  The saga is
playing out in the Henderson County town of Trinidad, where police seem
in no hurry to arrest him.
In the back woods of Henderson County, visitors to the ranch are
greeted by women with side arms and signs, warning, ‘No trespassing:
Survivors will be prosecuted.’“ And somewhere in the ranch is the owner
of the property - John Joe Gray - a fugitive, charged with biting a
state trooper during a traffic stop and allegedly trying to get another
trooper’s gun in a scuffle last Christmas Eve.
He failed to show up for any court appearances, and for months now,
he’s been hunkered down at his ranch.
John Parsons calls himself a family friend. He said, “From all
appearances, the trooper actually attacked him.
“It’s hard to predict the future, but I can tell you for sure he won’t
be coming out.” At least 16 people are believed to live on the 47-acre
spread, including Gray’s two grandchildren, 2-year-old Samuel
Tarkington and his 4-year-old brother J.D.
Their father - Keith Tarkington, who is now divorced from Gray’s
daughter - said, “I just want to know if they’re okay.” He was awarded
legal custody but hasn’t seen his children for 17 months. He says he’s
begged the sheriff for help.
“And he puts his finger in my face and he starts telling me, ‘How are
we supposed to do this? How are we supposed to get those kids out
without someone getting shot?’“ Tarkington said.
The people NBC 5 talked to at the gate wouldn’t say if the children are
still there.
“Joe Gray is the kind of mouse, he’d rather hide behind women and
children than stand up and fight. He ain’t a man, he’s a mouse,”
Tarkington said.
The Henderson County sheriff didn’t return our phone calls but has told
several newspapers it’s a dangerous situation, and he wants to avoid a
shootout.
So for now, it remains a strange sort of showdown. A fugitive and his
armed supporters on one side. And the law, nowhere to be found.
Gray is a member of the Oregon-based Embassy of Heaven Church, which
doesn’t recognize government authority.