By Allyson Smith
February 1, 2002

Bruce Allan Ross, webmaster and owner of the controversial "usQueers.com" website, was sentenced January 29 in San Diego County Superior Court to five days in jail and three years' probation on a kidnapping charge. His probation terms also include an order to stay away from computers.

He was convicted of taking David Powell, a minister at First Southern Baptist Church in San Diego, hostage last June 18. During the incident, Ross displayed a jagged bottom of a glass bottle, threatened to hurt Powell and also threatened to commit suicide by cutting the artery in his own neck, according to a June 19 report by Baptist Press. San Diego police officers subdued Ross by firing bean bag bullets and unleashing a police dog on him.

At the time of the kidnapping, pro-family leaders were not aware of Ross' usQueers website. They discovered it in November, while Ross was awaiting court hearings on the kidnapping charge, after its existence was revealed on the Free Republic website.

The website called for "a horrible death by any means" for "het [heterosexual] supremacists," including former President Ronald Reagan, Sen. Jesse Helms, Sen. Strom Thurmond, Pat Robertson, Gary Bauer, Paul Weyrich, Dr. Don Wildmon, Dr. James Dobson, Rev. Lou Sheldon, and other religious and conservative leaders.

Although the website carried a disclaimer saying, "usQueers.com does not authorize, ratify or directly threaten acts of violence toward the people or organizations on this list," a note immediately following the disclaimer asked viewers to supply personal information about its targets, including their home, office and church addresses, phone numbers, automobile license plate numbers, and "just about anything which could be useful in spotting these dangerous het supremacists when they are wandering around loose."

On November 26, Ross appeared on San Diego radio host Rick Robert's show with another person targeted by usQueers.com, Peter LaBarbera of the Culture and Family Institute. During the broadcast, Ross expressed his wish for LaBarbera to die of a heart attack.

During Ross' sentencing, defense attorney Terry Zimmerman acknowledged that the prosecution had recommended a jail sentence but pled with Judge Peter Deddeh not to incarcerate him. She pointed out eight people who accompanied Ross to the courtroom on his behalf and told the court, "Powell [the victim] doesn't necessarily want Ross to go to jail."

Zimmerman said, "The website is a separate matter" and "The people that called into the radio show are not parties" to the kidnapping incident. "It wasn't that Mr. Ross didn't express remorse on the radio; he said it wasn't the issue."

"Jail will not impress upon Mr. Ross the seriousness of his action," continued Zimmerman. She said he had "already suffered some punishment from the bean bag bullets" that police fired at him during the kidnapping attempt.

Zimmerman characterized Ross as a "serious suicide risk" if he were to be put in jail and assured the court that "Mr. Powell and the community will be safe" if he were put on probation instead.

Prosecutor Wes Sherman argued strongly in favor of a jail sentence for Ross: "You don't need to be a mental health professional to see when someone [wants to kill people]."

Sherman said the defense would have people believe Ross "is a 47-year-old male who has to wear a diaper because he doesn't know when he has soiled himself." Yet, "He spent three years in the military" and was honorably discharged.

"He runs a highly sophisticated website," said Sherman. "He is not a walking basket case. He is highly intelligent."

Of the trauma Ross suffered when the police fired bean bag bullets at him, Sherman said he was lucky they didn't fire real bullets. "He's lucky he's alive."

Regarding Zimmerman's assertion that the website was a separate matter from the kidnapping, Sherman said, "The website has everything to do with it. He [Ross] still wants to run the website. He's smart enough to advocate the killing of people he doesn't like. He's a smart violent person who's using his website to advocate his beliefs. That website is a vehicle to advocate dangerous behavior in terms of people who don't agree with him."

Sherman continued, "The bottom line is that this defendant wanted to take the law in his own hands. Luckily no one was hurt because Powell kept his cool. Even after that fact, he continued to run his website and go on the Rick Roberts show to advocate his belief in killing people."

Sherman recommended a sentence of 365 days in state prison and forbidding the use of computers, chatrooms, and "anything computer-related." "To him, a computer should be a paperweight or something he looks at."

After Sherman spoke, Ross apologized to the court. "I was undermedicated at the time (of the kidnapping)." He said he has not had any problems, until the kidnapping, since he was convicted of misdemeanors in 1985 for "drinking and using." "This should never have happened and I can assure you it never will happen again."

In sentencing Ross, Judge Deddeh said, "Whatever you want to attribute this crime to, the fact is it did happen. The fact is that somebody was seriously victimized, and that has to be punished."

"This is an offense I could easily justify sending you to prison on, but I don't think you're prison material," said the judge.

Of the website, Deddeh said, "That type of hatemongering is really not productive. Maybe putting that info on your website is one of the catalysts that drove you to commit this crime."

"Based on (the fact that you) have no prior felonies, community support and new medications," Deddeh said he decided to grant Ross probation but would have him first serve five days in custody.

Additional terms of sentencing require Ross to pay a $200 fine, $200 restitution, prohibit him from carrying firearms or deadly weapons, and a waiver of his fourth amendment right prohibiting unwarranted search and seizure.

Deddeh also told him "Do not set up or maintain any websites." Ross objected to this requirement, saying that he already has "several websites." Deddeh responded, "If you get on the Internet and get in a chatroom and say something that could be interpreted as a death threat, you could be liable. You violate probation, you go to jail."

As Ross was handcuffed and led from the courtroom, one of his supporters called out, "We love you, Allan."