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Polk City Sovereign citizen accused of kidnapping

Posted at 6:13 PM, Nov 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-23 18:13:56-05

Ronnie Davis lives at the end of this dead end road in Polk City. We wanted to talk to folks who know him
but when we got there we were warned to leave.

"Tell you right now, take pictures and video of this property, I will have you thrown in jail. You need to leave," yelled a man from behind a gate.

The guy in green in this video never identifies himself but the signs on the fence at Ronnie Davis' house don't mince words.

"No warrant--no entry."

48-year-old Davis is reportedly the man you see on these YouTube videos.

Authorities say he's a self-proclaimed Sovereign Citizen. The FBI lists the group as an extremist, domestic terror organization that believes local, state and federal laws are illegal.

Davis faces charges of armed kidnapping and armed false imprisonment and is being held in the Polk County Jail.

An arrest affadavit says a woman contacted Davis through the internet asking about legal issues involving the Department of Children and Families. It says Davis told her to "come to Florida and study his law that he teaches."

She tells authorities when she lived at Davis' house he threatened to shoot people on site, adding the only way to leave is in a "body bag."

A Hernando County woman who claims to know Davis spoke to me on the phone.

"Well, Sovereign is supposed to be where you only listen to God's Law and it's supposed to be higher than your county courts and your federal courts," said friend Susan Schwindt.

Schwindt also claims the charges against Davis are false.

"He's a really good man and now they have him on fraud charges for kidnapping children, abducting people which is totally not true," she said.

Deputies say their investigation is still active and they're speaking with 14 people who live at the house.