Neighbors fear Butler moving in

Spokane Spokesman Review/October 17, 2000

Sandpoint supremacist buys Hayden home for ousted Aryan Richard Butler may have a new Hayden, Idaho, address. An evangelist tied to an Idaho white supremacy group has bought a house where the Aryan Nations leader may move.

Neighbors near the house at 10137 Skyview Lane said Monday they have seen a man matching Butler's description moving items into the house.

The 82-year-old Aryan founder must soon surrender his 20-acre Hayden Lake compound and his assets to satisfy a $6.3 million civil judgment returned last month.

A newly purchased house couldn't be put in Butler's name because it would be subject to seizure by the plaintiffs who won the judgment.

Public records show Vincent Bertollini, of Sandpoint, bought the house in Hayden for $107,500. The deal closed Thursday, records show.

Bertollini and his friend, wealthy retired businessman Carl Story, head the 11th Hour Remnant Messenger.

Their organization preaches an anti-Semitic, white superiority message. It has financed mass mailings of a poster and a video supporting the Christian Identity religious philosophy of the Aryan Nations.

Real estate agent Carla Stewart, of Northwest GMAC in Coeur d'Alene, handled the listing and sale of the property, collecting a commission of about $6,000.

"I had no idea who Mr. Bertollini is," she said Monday. "He called us, wanted to see the house, made an offer and it was accepted," she said. "That's all there was to it."

The seller was Steven R. Martin, public records show.

His real estate agent said he has moved to Arizona, but wouldn't provide his telephone number or address.

"He just wanted to sell his house and has no idea at all about this buyer," Stewart said.

Martin reduced the selling price after initially listing the home for $118,500 earlier this year.

Butler also couldn't be reached for comment.

It was learned last week that Bertollini earlier had attempted to rent or buy a house south of Sandpoint for Butler.

Bertollini declined comment Monday.

The house on Skyview Lane is just a few blocks north of Hayden Meadows Elementary School and just west of Hayden Lake Country Club It is a small gray home, nestled in a neighborhood filled with minivans and swing sets.

Neighbors said the man resembling Butler began moving furniture into the home Wednesday.

One neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, runs an in-home day-care center across the street from the home.

A child who stays there is black, she said.

"I'm not real happy," she said, worrying that she'll lose clients. "I don't know how many kids I'll lose."

She said a man who looked like Butler introduced himself to neighbors as "Carl" last week.

Neighbors say they worry about what kind of people will be coming to their neighborhood.

"I'm worried about the younger Aryans," said a 30-year-old woman, who asked to remain anonymous. "They're more militant."

Still, said the woman who runs the day-care center, there's not much neighbors can do.

"I think we're going to watch and see what happens. That's all you can do."