CONYERS, Ga. -- A man claiming to be a "Sovereign Citizen" is now being held without bond after attempting to rob a Game Stop in Rockdale County.
Ricardo Goulbourne, 22, entered a Game Stop in Conyers, Georgia on Monday, Aug. 11. Goulbourne told the clerk he was going to buy a Playstation 4. He approached the wrong side of the counter only to be told to return to the other side to finalize the purchase.
Goulbourne did as he was told only to jump the counter seconds later, grabbing the console in the process. The clerk attempted to stop him but Goulbourne overpowered her.
Cameras in the parking lot caught Goulbourne's green sedan.
Conyers police ran the tag of the car and found where the tag was registered. Upon the initial arrest, detectives found papers in the passenger seat with terms on them like "sovereign citizen," "-quasai-national domicile," and "corporate state."
The papers and car were taken as evidence. The Playstation was recovered in the home.
The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that the Sovereign Citizen movement is an anti-government group that is mainly known for its belief that it is immune to governing local, state and federal laws.
This stems at least in part from the fact that their birth certificates are written in all capital letters while their true - or Sovereign - identity is referred to in standard case. The SPLC reports that many Sovereign Citizens believe that any document that refers to their name in capital letters is referring to a "corporate shell identity" and doesn't actually apply to them. As such, this believe is applied to several government and legal documents.
Some members also user paperwork declaring their sovereignty to fight charges in court.
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