Business Insider | Aug. 20, 2012
By Michael Kelley

The former Marine who was detained by the federal government over Facebook posts critical of the government is being held in a psychiatric ward, Peter Bacqué of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. 

"I'm currently in John Randolph in the psychiatric ward being held against my will," Brandon Raub said in a telephone interview with the Times-Dispatch. "[Authorities] were concerned about me calling for the arrest of government officials."

Raub noted that he has been raising questions about 9/11 and signed a petition to reopen investigation of the terrorist attacks.

According to Raub's mother, authorities from the FBI, Secret Service and Chesterfield County PD came to their door on Thursday evening, questioned Raub about his Facebook posts, then handcuffed him and placed him in a Chesterfield PD squad car before taking him directly to John Randolph Psychiatric Hospital in Hopewell, Va.

Raub, 26, has not been arrested. Both FBI Richmond spokeswoman Dee Rybiski and Secret Service Washington spokesman Max Milien said that there are no charges against Raub.

When asked about why Raub was placed in a psychiatric ward, Rybiski said that the FBI "had nothing to do with that" and that the FBI typically doesn't "make determinations such as that."

"We went out to interview him because of complaints that our office had received about people coming across his posts and perceiving them as threatening so our office along with Chesterfield County Police Department on Thursday," Rybiski told us. "When we left we had not arrested him, we had not placed our hands on him, we did not detain him and we did not charge him."

Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said: "The Secret Service assisted the FBI with the interview. He was not arrested by the Secret Service. The Secret Service will continue to monitor the situation. We have no further comment at this time."

When asked who ordered Raub to be taken to the psychiatric ward, Leary pointed out that Raub was placed in a Chesterfield PD police car but gave no further details.

Chesterfield PD released this statement:

Chesterfield Police assisted federal authorities in their efforts to interview Brandon J. Raub on Thursday, Aug. 16. After speaking to Raub, officers believed him to be in need of further evaluation.

Chesterfield officers at the scene contacted Chesterfield Mental Health Crisis Intervention. Crisis workers recommended that police take Raub into custody and bring him in for evaluation.

Chesterfield police took Raub into custody for evaluation in accordance with Virginia State Code § 37.2-808 Emergency custody.

Raub was placed in handcuffs after he resisted officers’ attempts to take him into custody.

Raub was evaluated by a Chesterfield mental health official, who determined that he should be held under a temporary [detention] order and transported to John Randolph Medical Center for additional evaluation.

Raub was not arrested and he faces no criminal charges in Chesterfield. As this is not a criminal matter, Chesterfield police have no further comment.

Radio host Adam Kokesh reports that Raub's hearing "is over but he is still being held at the John Randolph Hospital against his will."

"I really love America, and I think that idea that you can be detained and sent somewhere without due process and a lawyer … is crazy," Raub said. 

Raub told the Times-Dispatch that he served as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2005 to 2011, was a combat engineer sergeant and does not own a gun. His mother said he returned from Afghanistan about a year ago and does not have PTSD.

His Linked-In profile lists his interests as "Investing in Gold in Silver, Owning a Silver Mine, Owning Oil Wells, Owning Land and Agriculture" and says he owns a small business through Numis Network, which he describes as "a MLM or Multi Level Marketing Company that sells silver and operates around a program called the 'Silver Coin of the Month.' I sell silver directly, and offer the opportunity for individuals to create a business for themselves."

Raub wrote five articles about economics and the Richmond Liberty Movement for the website Don't Tread On Me.