Site of alleged Wolverine Watchmen training known to local authorities, 911 call logs show

On the banks of the Portage River in remote Munith, hidden away behind the trees, sits the alleged Wolverine Watchmen's training grounds and the home of two leaders of the group charged with plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

It turns out that this rural home of Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico was well known by local authorities.

The 911 call records obtained from Jackson County paint a picture of a family who closely guarded their Munith home about 40 miles south of Lansing.

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But that sought-after privacy began to crumble a few months ago when police discovered a gun in Morrison's car. A neighbor and passerby also called 911 after hearing screams from the house and a woman threatening to shoot herself.

The 911 calls and police reports echo what neighbors told the Free Press of the house and the family. They say the family mostly kept to themselves. Gunshots coming from the house were not uncommon, but neighbors say hunting is common in the area, so they didn't give it another thought.

Neighbors also said that leading up to the FBI raiding the home a week ago, there were screams in August, according to a 911 call, while another neighbor heard an explosion from the house on the eve of the FBI raid, she told the Free Press.

Both Musico and Morrison are charged with one count each of threat of terrorism, gang membership, providing material support for terrorist acts and carrying or possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. Both men were arraigned in Jackson County last week and a cash bond was set at $10 million each.

Musico and Morrison hosted multiple training sessions with other members of the Wolverine Watchmen at their property, state court charging documents allege. Specific training was provided for members to learn and practice tactical maneuvers, the documents say.

The Morrison household made seven calls to 911 since July 2018, records show. Two additional calls were made by neighbors and a person who was fishing in the nearby river related to screaming coming from the house in August.

Jason Hamman, director of Jackson County Central Dispatch, said the nature and frequency of the calls didn't stick out to him. He added that depending on the person and their environment, calls like these can be common.

'I really think someone needs to check on them'

That's not to say some of the incidents wouldn't have warranted further review, he said. The August incident in which neighbors heard screaming would have likely been passed along to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Hamman said, because a child was believed to be involved.

"I really think someone needs to check on them," a neighbor said in a recorded call to 911 on Aug. 11, whose name and address have been redacted by Jackson County. "She is screaming she is going to blow her head off. They are known to shoot AR-15 (rifles). I hear them all the time so make sure your officers know they do have guns."

The neighbor also heard the woman say that's she's going to "blow her brains off in front of him and he wouldn't care."

It's unclear who exactly the neighbor is referring to. Reached by phone Wednesday, the neighbor said she was unwilling to speak to the Free Press. 

A man fishing on the Portage River nearby also called 911 with a similar account as the neighbor, adding that he heard a baby screaming and that the woman was hitting a car with a piece of wood.

When police arrived at the house, they did not see or hear anyone outside, according to the call report, and they never got a call from the residence.

Morrison’s lawyer, George Lyons, declined to comment because he hasn't been provided discovery yet. Musico’s attorney, Kareem Johnson, said he hasn't seen the 911 call records and has no comment.

Protecting their property

Morrison and his wife, Jada, have called 911 multiple times before that incident. Jada, who is also the daughter of Pete Musico, and Morrison have made a total of seven calls over the last two years. The first came in July 2018, when they called to complain that people were driving their cars on their property, according to a 911 call report. 

A voicemail seeking comment from Jada was not immediately retuned. 

Many of the subsequent calls were similar in nature, with Joseph and Jada calling 911 when a car drove onto their property, or teenagers threw trash off a nearby bridge and yelled at passing cars, or someone stole their chicken coop, 911 call reports show.

It's more than just a home they were protecting. As of last week, there’s a camper parked near the road, a handful of trucks and a double-wide trailer. Various items are scattered around the yard, including a collection of old tires built up to form a backdrop. 

That propensity toward defending their home appeared in a call Crystal Musico, Jada's mother, made in the days following the FBI raid. She called because she saw someone drive by the home filming the home.

"I will do what I have to to defend myself on my property," she said in a recording of a 911 call on Oct. 11. "(The FBI) took everything and everyone knows I’m a sitting duck." Crystal Musico couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Guns discovered in Morrison's vehicle

Police also found a gun in Morrison's car on two separate occasions.

Less than a week before reports of screaming at the Munith home, Jackson County Police pulled over Morrison in Grass Lake Township, near Munith. Then, the officer checked his vehicle's registration and found Morrison did not have auto insurance. The officer asked Morrison whether he had a weapon, and Morrison said he did. 

"Joseph Morrison advised that he open carries and that the pistol was enclosed in a secure container for transport," the report says. The officer seized the semi-automatic pistol and determined it was registered to Morrison. But the officer also concluded that there had been no gun law violation and let Morrison go with a warning. He returned the gun to Morrison.

Morrison was pulled over in July 2019 and was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, a felony charge. He later pleaded guilty to a related misdemeanor, according to online court records.

Free Press staff writers Elisha Anderson and Dave Boucher contributed to this report.

Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com.