Dinosaur Adventure Land Grand Re-Opening:

By Abigail Megginson

Lenox, Alabama isn't home to much. But starting Saturday April 21, it became the destination for Hovind followers and those who reject the theory of evolution with the grand re-opening of Dinosaur Adventure Land. 

After Hovind was arrested in 2006 on several tax related charges including structuring, Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola struggled to stay open and then slowly fell out of existence. Upon leaving prison after completing his sentence and being acquitted on new charges in 2015, Hovind searched for his next move. A connection through Ernie Land donated 140 acres of property in Repton, Alabama to Creation Science Evangelism Ministries Inc and the new DAL was born.

Entering

To get to DAL, visitors travel down a dirt road and wind up at the entrance gate featuring Dr. Dino and Mrs. Dino, seemingly a rendition of Mary Tocco before the two split. 

The park has no insurance and warns visitors to enter at their own risk. 

Sign warns visitors about risks associated with coming onto property.

On opening day starting at 10:30 a.m., visitors enjoyed the creation museum, playground area, and a donated lunch of BBQ pork and Chobani yogurt accompanied by Danish pastries. The main event would be held at 2 p.m. - water baptisms in the pond.

The Museum

But DAL isn't complete without the creation museum. The center takes visitors through the six days of creation according to the Bible. The tour guide emphasized the spiritual metaphors behind each scientific demonstration. Near the end of the tour, our guide stopped in front of a wall of posters and news clippings about the existence of dinosaurs among mankind. She told the audience that dinosaurs such as pterodactyls are still in areas of North America today. 

Two volunteers wearing the new DAL park logo shirts.

Original logo from Pensacola hangs in Museum.

Wooden cross stands at high point on property.

Children play in Noah's Ark from the original DAL in Pensacola. It shows both animals and dinosaurs together.

Doctor Hovind

Outside, Hovind directed volunteers, interacted with children on swing sets, and drove a four wheeler across the premises. He said the biggest challenge with this project has been money. They’ve spent all they raised and more, mostly relying on donations. His resources have been less than he would have hoped, which Hovind says is the result of churches abandoning him post-prison sentence.

For his critics, Hovind had a few words.

“What are you doing for the Lord?” Hovind asked. “If you don’t like what I’m doing, do something better.”

Hovind directs visitors on one of many four wheelers on the property.

Kent The Baptist

Near the end of the grand re-opening at 2 p.m. volunteers and visitors alike gathered at the pond for the baptisms. Volunteers parked their golf carts and four wheelers on the shore. Under a pavilion, nearly 25 people sat in rows of chairs and listened to worship, followed by Hovind wading waist deep in the water as adults and children took their turns.

Fund Raising

After the baptisms, Hovind invited guests to stay and explore the property until 5 p.m. He also asked them to spread the news about his new 777 club. The goal is for 777 people to donate a dollar a day for a year, or $31 a month, to Creation Science Evangelism. He noted you could sign up for people and boasted one donor had signed up under Bill Nye.

By 3 p.m. nearly 70 people had visited for the grand opening, not including children.

The Past

Hovind’s tax past wasn’t completely overshadowed by the dinosaurs. Visitor Leslie Johnson came with his family to support Hovind, but he originally learned about him because of his structuring charges and imprisonment.

Jessica Gunther brought her family from LeFayette, Georgia to support Hovind. She was aware of his past with tax-related charges but said she doesn’t think it was Hovind’s fault for what happened.

“I think the government was looking for something,” Gunther said. “He was spreading too much truth.”

Creationism

Underlying the playground and dinosaurs at DAL is a subculture of Christianity. To follow Hovind and his teachings about God and creationism means to know the truth as no one else does. For Hovind's followers, the renewal of Dinosaur Adventure Land is only the beginning for the restoration of Creation Science Evangelism.

Hovind’s reach is wide and deep. Every volunteer and visitor said they had first heard of him from his video series or YouTube channel. Every supporter spoke highly of the way Hovind portrayed his message in love. For them, the message is the solution to the evolution question and motivated them so strongly that many traveled hours to see DAL and support Hovind. 

Their devotion to Hovind is profound. They see no flaws in him. Instead, they view him as a man intensely persecuted for his beliefs. These supporters seem to be drawn to Hovind, but with a greater purpose of spreading God's truth in mind. The line between adoration of a man and his message begins to blur. 

There's More

Is Creation Science Evangelism's DAL simply a display of a bizarre subculture of Christianity or is there something more to it?

I will continue my report on the new Dinosaur Adventure Land by sharing stories about how the volunteers live, why they chose DAL, and the reasons visitors trekked miles to a small town in Alabama.

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Abigail Megginson studies Journalism and Political Science at the University of West Florida. She grew up in Pensacola and visited the original Dinosaur Adventure Land as a child. She reported on Hovind's 2015 trial as an intern for Interlock Media.

Denouement Of L'Affaire Kent Hovind - The Sentencing Of Paul John Hansen

Abigal Meggisnson, with support from Interlock Media was on the scene last Friday when Kent Hovind's co-defendant Paul Hansen was sentenced for contempt of court.  In Abigal's report we get a rich picture of the scene that day that I have designated the end point of L'affaire Kent Hovind.

Friday, August 21 Paul John Hansen, former Creation Science Evangelism Trustee and Kent Hovind’s co-conspirator, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with 10 months served time as credit, to be followed by supervised release of 3 years.


Hansen was convicted in March of contempt of court -  intending to cloud the sale of former Dinosaur Adventure Land property and failing to appear for fingerprint and case prints when subpoenaed.

The sentencing began at 2 p.m. at the Winston E Arnow Federal Building in Pensacola, FL with a calm presence outside the courthouse, without a protestor in sight.

Inside, supporters and reporters filled in to witness the sentencing. Kent Hovind entered the courtroom accompanied by his friends and advisors Ernie Land and Josh Jocelyn.

Kent, Ernie and Josh would provide a video report of the event not long after its close.

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Rhonda Herrington entered clutching a Bible and sat in the pew directly behind the defense. She came to report the sentencing for her pastor James David Manning’s internet radio show. After Hansen was brought out in chains and an orange jumpsuit, she knelt on her knees in prayer with her head bowed.


A court official interrupted her to let her know she would have to rise for the judge, to which Herrington asked, “Is it against the law [to pray in court]?” The court official was kind and simply asked for her cooperation and to be included in the woman’s prayers too. Despite the minute resistance, she did rise once the judge entered and sat in her seat once again clutching her Bible for the rest of the sentencing.

At the hearings in May, when Hovind's conviction for contempt had been dismissed, Rhonda had been a presence on the street in front of the courthouse.

Judge Casey Rodgers entered the courtroom. She allowed Hansen to address his objections, comments and concerns regarding the pre-sentence report and sentencing guidelines. Hansen's primarily put on  sovereign citizen arguments which he spouted with his hands twitching nervously behind his back.

Hansen first objected that the term in the pre-sentence report, residence, was inaccurate when referring to his home in Nebraska.

Hansen further claimed that he had been misinformed of the consequences of mailing the letter to the title attorney’s office. He said he had received a notice that stated he would be in civil contempt if he mailed the letter, but it did not warn him of criminal contempt of court. He said he would have taken the matter more seriously if he had known. Hansen asserted that he was planning on suing whoever had misinformed him, but Judge Rodgers was quick to steer him back towards the subject of the day, his sentencing.

Later, Prosecuting attorney, Mr. Ryan J. Love,that Hansen had sufficient notice of the consequences of his actions. Judge Rodgers informed Hansen that the jury had already ruled that he had proper notice.

A face not in the courtroom that was missed by Hansen was IRS agent Schneider. When he addressed his issue, he looked around the courtroom hoping to see Schneider. Hansen noted that he had made efforts to request that Schneider be subpoenaed for the sentencing but was not advised by Klotz to do so and had not filed the request himself in due time. The Judge made the statement that based on the fact that he would not have brought any new information to the sentencing, it would have been denied anyway.

Repeatedly, Hansen stated that he only mailed a letter and did not file it to the county clerk’s office for the extra one dollar. This would have been filing a lien on the property, a much more obvious and serious attempt to cloud the title. He wanted the court to know that what he didn’t do was just as important as what he did do.

Judge Rodgers went over the sentencing guidelines early on. The official sentencing guidelines determine months in prison by cross referencing points for offense and level of criminal history. Hansen originally had a score of 14 points but was given 3 more points (a total of 17) for substantial interference. With a criminal history of 5, the guidelines dictate a sentence of 47-56 months.

During the two and a half hours of sentencing, Hansen continued to claim that it didn’t matter what the intended harm was, as long as no harm came about. It was okay since the properties were selling well and the family would be in a comfortable position.

Judge Rodgers stated several times that Hansne had already been convicted of intending to cloud the sale, and intent was all that mattered.

Although Judge Rodgers has allowed Hansen to continually challenge the U.S. authority, she said she flat out disagrees with them. “It’s nothing personal… it’s my view of the law”

Hansen brought two character witnesses up to the stand: Kent Hovind and Ernie Land. Both testified to Hansen’s faith and his intent to do the right thing for his country.

Kent Hovind said he had known Hansen for over 10 years and spent significant time with him including three months in a jail cell. He testified to his godly character and good intentions. Hovind also gave his perspective on what Hansen’s sentence should be, “In my opinion, you should go home today.”

Ernie Land was also called to the stand. He denounced his own American citizenship while wearing a patriotic button up shirt boasting an American flag and We the People followed by the rest of the constitution. He stated that today’s U.S. citizen is not what was originally intended by the founding fathers. Mr. Love questioned him on the community courts of today. Land answered him saying there are many coming up across the nation, including some in South Florida and even one in Pensacola.

Hansen began his final statement by speaking of the hardships he has experienced in prison already and how he wished to go back home to his family. He said there was no evidence of a cloud on the property and no upset of the sale of it either. Hansen said that if he had known that he would’ve spent even one day in jail, that he would have never sent the letter.

Hansen expectedly, asked the judge for time served. “I don’t want to go to prison for 6 years for mailing a letter,” Hansen said.

He then humbly apologized for his ignorance. The Judge was confused by his apology and asked what exactly he was apologizing for. He ended up saying it was for "accidentally" committing a criminal act and his overall ignorance.

The closing statement from prosecution featured Mr. Love detailing the benefits that come with being an American citizen, yet Hansen still has claimed these benefits after repeatedly denouncing his citizenship. Love additionally noted that this case was not nor has ever been about faith. If he and his associates were to sit down with Hansen and Hovind, he said they would be shocked to see how similar their faith really is. He asked the judge to adhere to the guidelines and give Hansen 47-56 months in prison and “no greater than what is necessary.”

udge Rodger’s decision was a swing in Hansen’s direction to promote a respect for the law, she sentenced Hansen to 18 months in prison, giving him credit for the 10 months he has already served and 3 years supervised release.

She disagreed with the guidelines due to Hansen’s criminal history category. He had scored a 5 out of 6 which Judge Rodgers felt “over represents the seriousness of his crimes”

Mr. Love’s argument regarding Hansen’s beliefs became irrelevant, as the judge said, “We do not punish people for their beliefs. We do when those beliefs turn into harmful actions”

Judge Rodgers addressed Hansen and explained that the most dangerous thing to our society is when one individual takes action against the laws that apply to everyone. “You’re not special, you have to follow the same rules everyone else does,” she said to Hansen.

Hansen asked to finish his time in the Federal Prison Camp of Pensacola. The Judge agreed to recommend that facility, though she said she could not promise that he would end up there.

After court was dismissed, an unsettled Kent Hovind stood outside and said, “That should’ve never happened. The court should be apologizing to him [Hansen].”

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I really appreciate Abigails sharp observation of the proceedings.  Hansen is unlikely to be released while he appeals, which actually may be to his benefit, since under current conditions he is sure to be free in the Spring. Hovind continues to call for reversal of his 2006 conviction, but it seem unlikely he will get any traction.  Hovind has not preached tax protester theories in a long time. He is now focused on "end times".  I suspect that he will be conventionally tax compliant.  The second prosecution of Kent Hovind turns out to have been a waste of government resources and not to have been in the interest of promoting tax compliance as it seems to have emboldened his supporters in their alternative views.  Regardless, I'm glad that Kent Hovind is out and that he seems to be mainly focusing on his Gospel message.

Bill Caplinger Says You Can't Be A "Thug For Jesus"

Independent Baptist minister and young earth creationist Kent Hovind nearing the end of a long federal prison sentence finds himself facing new charges. His trial in mid-March resulted in a conviction for contempt of court and a hung jury on more serious fraud and conspiracy charges. Retrial is scheduled for May 18.

Jonathan Schwartz has been covering the trial and investigating its Pensacola background.  Creation Science Evangelism and its Dinosaur Advertureland Theme Park was part of the Pensacola evangelical scene which included a strong pro-life movement, the Brownsville Revival and Pensacola Christian College, where men and women ride in separate, but presumably equal, elevators.

Supporters of Kent Hovind have built  a vigorous social media campaign.  The flagship website of the movement is #FreeKent  and Rudy Davis's youtube channel LoneStar1776.  Rudy has deferred discussion of other matters that concern him such as geocentrism and the illegitimacy of the Obama presidency to focus on Hovinidication.

The essential elements of Hovinidication are that Kent Hovind is an innocent man being subjected to religious persecution, that he is not a tax protester, has not broken any laws and has paid all the taxes that he owes.  I have issues with that narrative, but I won't detain you with them here.

Something that is a puzzle to both me and Hovindicators is the lack of support for Hovind in his old stomping ground in Pensacola. As noted,  Pensacola has a very strong evangelical community and Kent Hovind's Creation Science Evangelism was part of that rich mosaic.  His son Eric has continued the ministry with his Creation Today.

Yet the people inside and outside the courtroom supporting Kent Hovind were almost all from out of town.  Here Rudy Davis relates his discussion with local minister Brian Donovan who was unwilling to help.  Rudy goes on to note the large number of churches in the area and that none of them are doing anything to help Kent Hovind, because they seem to think he is a "tax cheat".

Perhaps talks like this one by Kent in which he indicates that he has not filed a federal income tax return in 28 years are still in the minds of the Pensacola Christians who believe in rendering unto Caesar.

Ironically Proof Number 1  of Hovind's innocence according to the #FreeKent site are letters from "tax professionals" that are a pastiche of frequently debunked tax protester arguments.  If those letters are correct, hardly anybody is required to file an income tax return.  They're not, by the way - at least not according to any federal court that has considered the arguments.

To get another view on why Pensacola might not be rallying behind Kent Hovind.  Jonathan Schwartz and Abigal Megginson interviewed Bill Caplinger.  Bill Caplinger has been the president of the Unitarian Church of Pensacola.  As a religious liberal, he can have an appreciation for the warm loving embrace of evangelical Christianity, (In Pensacola it is largely Baptist and Assembly of God, apparently) while acknowledging it tendency to sometimes slip into intolerance (Not that religious liberals don't also have issues with tolerance).

Bill ran into Kent Hovind in two different contexts.  Bill managed the physics lab at the University of West Florida.  As Kent was building up his video library and giving his lectures he would call the professors there with notions he had picked up that he believed supported intelligent design.  Eventually they started referring Kent to Bill who had more patience with him.

Bill also served as an escort at the clinic where abortions were being performed shielding patients and clinic personnel from pro-life demonstrators.  He would often see Kent riding by on his motorcycle and sometimes stopping apparently checking to make sure that people who had committed to be there demonstrating were covering their assigned shifts.

The pro-life/pro-choice dispute got extremely heated in Pensacola.  Bill relates one time explaining to one of the pro-life leaders John Burt that you can't be a "thug for Jesus".

The speculation is that Pensacola Christians have had enough radical confrontation to last a while and that out-of-towners trying to import that will not find a warm welcome.

Which brings us back to Rudy Davis.  If you don't have time for this entire clip below go to about 14:00 and draw your own conclusions.

The full interview with Bill Caplinger is available here.

Peter J Reilly CPA hopes to be the first tax blogger to give up his day job.  He has a long way to go.

Clinic Escort Discusses Details Of 1994 Pensacola Abortion Clinic Murders

In conjunction with coverage of the Kent Hovind trial, Jonathan Schwartz and Abigal Magginson interviewed Bill Caplinger to get background on the religious atmosphere in Pensacola in the nineties and early oughts as Hovind's ministry was growing and he was becoming prominent.

One of the most traumatic events of that period was the murder of Dr. John Maynard and Lt. Col James Herman Barrett USAF, Ret by anti-abortion activist Paul Jennings Hill as Barrett was escorting Maynard to the Ladies Clinic in Pensacola on July 29, 1994 just a little over a year after the murder of Dr. David Gunn.

Bill Caplinger also served as a clinic escort during that period.  Barrett, like Caplinger, was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola.

In the interview Bill reveals details of the circumstances of the events of that day that he has previously not discussed.

Here is a link to the full interview.

Kent Hovind Trial Day 4 - Owner Of Seized Property Tells Tale Of Threats Abuse And Harassment

Kent Hovind is one of the leading lights in the field of Young Earth Creationism, the notion that there is scientific evidence for a hyper-literal reading of the Book of Genesis. YEC implies that the world is roughly 6,000 years old and dinosaurs and humans must have co-existed.  Nearing the end of a long sentence for tax related crimes, Hovind finds himself on trial this week for fraud and contempt of court related to filings on properties seized in connection with his first conviction.  His co-defendant Paul John Hansen was the trustee of Creation Science Evangelism, Hovind's ministry. Hansen challenges the authority of the government in many areas, including the right to bring him to trial in the federal court in Pensacola.

Abigail Megginson and Ben Sheffler teamed up for this report on Day 4 of the trial.

The Kent Hovind and Paul Hansen trial resumed Friday after a day off, and was highlighted by testimonies from Eric Hovind and multiple Internal Revenue Service agents and the man who had the misfortune to buy from the federal government one of the properties seized from Kent Hovind's ministry.

The prosecution’s attention centered around letters, phone calls and emails that included correspondence with Kent Hovind and Hansen, or mentioned Creation Science Evangelism (CSE) and its properties.

In one instance, Kent Hovind sent a letter to his daughter Marlissa and her husband Paul Dublin, who live at one of the CSE properties. The letter implied that if they testify in court, Marlissa and Paul should say, “I don’t recall,” when asked about any mail and documents received.

Several excerpts of Kent Hovind’s phone conversations, which were recorded as standard procedure for an inmate at the Santa Rosa County Jail, were introduced as evidence.

One call in particular between Kent and his son Eric Hovind on February 13 of this year started off with Eric talking about someone who had just become a Christian. Kent then began implying, through a biblical reference about the apostle Paul’s silence, that Eric should say as little as possible when he testifies in court. Eric immediately stopped him mid-sentence and told his father that the prosecution will use these conversations to slander his character.

In one phone call from Kent Hovind to an unidentified person, Kent said he was told by a Muslim cellmate, whom he described as a legal genius, to go ahead and file lis pendens.

Several email records from Google and MSN were subpoenaed in March 2012, as well as emails from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in July 2013, which concerned the lis pendens, Hansen, God Quest (parent company of Eric Hovind's Creation Today ministry), Creation Today, CSE and the properties in dispute. They were read aloud in court by IRS agent Scott Schneider. Select emails could not be retrieved by Schneider due to the Federal Bureau of Prison’s email system, but Eric Hovind had copied and pasted them and sent them to himself.

Eric Hovind said that he had never met Hansen in person, but had been corresponding with him via email. Hansen became responsible for the CSE trust and had complete legal control over the assets, while Eric had control over the brand and operation.

The prosecution pointed out that Hansen filed liens after his June 1, 2011 indictment on a conspiracy charge. Each and every document and money order was signed by Hansen with no mention of Glen Stoll, who was also part of the CSE trust.

Eric Hovind told the jury he was completely aware of the lis pendens his father was filing. He also stated that Kent Hovind thought the lawsuit he filed in South Carolina would overturn his first conviction, but a sustained objection by the prosecution stopped further comment about the previous conviction.  

The prosecution made clear that Kent Hovind only filed lis pendens on the four properties the government was trying to sell, not any other properties, implying there was intent to disrupt those specific sales.

After the government seized several CSE properties to compensate for the more than $400,000 Kent Hovind owed, Eric Hovind said he and his father disputed about his buying of assets of CSE from the government for Creation Today. Some of those assets included equipment, books, CD’s, websites and promotional rights. Eric jokingly said of the dispute, “Welcome to my family.”

Eric Hovind said he and his family were allowed to stay on the government owned properties rent-free because they kept them maintained, and they weren't to blame for the seizures, which was confirmed by IRS agent Chuck Evans. A July 29, 2009, from the government allowed the sale of some of the properties to the Hovind’s. Eric bought his property for $40,000, Kent Andrew Hovind bought his for $50,000 and Jo Hovind, Kent’s wife, bought hers for $35,000. Throughout this process, Eric said he’s made sure he was receiving good legal and real estate advice.

Anthony Jaworski, who bought the CSE property at 5720 Palafox St, and had subsequently filed a lawsuit against the United States in March 2013 asking for the more than $100,000 he paid for the property to be returned, also testified Friday. In his lawsuit, which was dismissed, Jaworski said he was subject to “threats, abuse, mail harassment and terror,” including a letter from Hansen regarding the legality of his purchase of the property. Jaworski seemed uncomfortable on the stand and said he just wants to sell the property and move back home to Maryland.    

CSE was sold to God Quest in 2007 after Kent Hovind’s first trial in 2006, which then became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in July of that year under Eric Hovind. Eric said in court that his father did not withhold taxes from his employees because he considered them missionaries, not employees.

Eric Hovind said his father is 100 percent sincere about his claims of innocence and considering the employees as missionaries. Around this time, Kent Hovind mouthed the words, “I love you,” and pointed to Eric, who was still on the witness stand.

According to testimony, Hansen did not comply with a subpoena for his fingerprints or handwriting samples. Eventually he was fingerprinted by Hayley Lee of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office--ten rolled, then palm prints. But Hansen wrote “NA under protest” on the card. Then, and even during his arrest at his home in Omaha, Neb., he maintained that officials had to prove his U.S. citizenship. The IRS has not found Hansen to be a citizen of any other country except the U.S.

James Snaidauf, a latent print analyst for the IRS in Chicago since 2008, was brought in regarding Hansen’s fingerprints on a piece of mail. To say that Snaidauf did a thorough job explaining the ins and outs of examining fingerprints to the jury is putting it mildly. He told of the loops, swirls and whorls used to identify fingerprints. These distinctions are created by the ridges which have three levels. Those three levels are then used to more accurately identify the individual.

The prosecution said a search warrant was filed to look into the email accounts of Eric Hovind, Hansen and Marlissa Dublin. However, the search warrant only looked into one of Hansen’s email accounts, pauljjhansen@hotmail.com, and not other varieties that included more “j’s.” Likewise, only one phone number of Hansen's was searched.

Ed Sealock, another IRS special agent who works in Omaha, Neb., participated in the arrest of Hansen on Oct. 23, 2013.  

Several items were found on Hansen at the time of the arrest, including his cell phone, keys, pen, envelope, belt and money, which was folded in half and clipped. Inside the money was a postcard from Kent Hovind, who urged Hansen to “fix it!” referencing either the “for sale” sign on the 5800 Palafox St. property or the lis pendens.

After the jury left the courtroom to go home for the day, Chief U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers had a few words for the attorneys, especially the defense. Judge Rodgers warned Thomas Keith, Kent Hovind’s public defender, on using a Cheek defense and said, “Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for defense.” Keith describes Kent as having “legal challenges,” to which Judge Rodgers replied, “At what point do challenges become defiant?” A Cheek defense, a reference to pilot John Cheek who was prosecuted in the 1980's for tax evasion and not filing income tax returns, is a defense that basically consists of an honest but unreasonable belief in the eyes of the court.

“No matter how sincere [Kent Hovind is], I won’t allow that as a defense,” Judge Rodgers said.

Keith believes that Kent Hovind was acting in good faith when raising legal challenges. He says that there was certainly a lack of criminal and specific intent on the part of Kent Hovind.

On the way out of the courthouse, Keith’s court case files fell off of his tiny rolling briefcase he had stacked them on. This could be a metaphor for what may come for the defense. Will it fall apart as the defense makes their case based on “legal challenges” and sincerity? Or will the defense rise to challenge and come out on top in next week’s trial?

18-year-old Abigail Megginson is an up-and-coming journalist from Pensacola, Florida. She is currently the editor-in-chief of her college newspaper (Pensacola State College’s The Corsair) and is looking to break into broadcast journalism.

Ben Sheffler is a freelance journalist living in Pensacola, Fla. He's studying psychology at the University of West Florida. You can follow him on Twitter @bensheffler.