The National Geographic TV show “Doomsday Preppers” featured a local man from the Bonney Lake and Buckley area Nov. 12. The program spotlights people who go above and beyond to prepare for the end of the world. Tyler Smith, 26, was shown discharging firearms and discussing his piratical tactics on camera. The clincher is this – Smith is a convicted felon and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.
After a lengthy investigation by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Smith was apprehended at his home Jan. 15.
Neighbors were frightened by his demeanor in the episode and notified police regarding their concerns. Smith, the leader of a doomsday preparation group called Spartan Survival, described his strategy as closer to pillaging than preparation.
“We’re not in it to stockpile. We’re in it to take what you have and there’s nothing you can do to stop us. We are your worst nightmare, and we are coming. We are those people. We’ll kick your door in and take your supplies. We are the marauders,” Smith said on the nationally televised episode.
Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Smith on Jan. 16 for unlawful possession of a firearm. He pleaded not guilty and his bail was set at $30,000 but detectives uncovered evidence including ammunition and an incriminating photo dated in 2012.
The defendant’s prior convictions includes of theft with a minor. He moved to Pierce County several years ago but failed to notify authorities, so he may face an additional charge for failure to register as a sex offender.
“If you threaten your neighbors and commit a crime on national TV, you’re likely to be caught,” Lindquist said in a press release.
National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers opening sequence concluded with the following narration, “They are prepping for armageddon, the apocalypse, the end of the world as we know it. They are doomsday preppers.”
To prepare for disasters of apocalyptic proportion, without marauding your neighbors, please consult sources such as:
