A Texas woman's arrest spurs a grifter and his six gullible followers to use threats and violence in an attempt to secede from the United States. A chaotic face-off against hundreds of law enforcement officers erupts into political war games and death.

SYNOPSIS:

The Texas Secessionists is an adaptation of a riveting true crime book. This TV pilot follows the missteps of an antigovernment militia group that in 1997 fought a week-long war to secede Texas from the United States. This timeless story begins in Austin with the arrest of Jo Ann Turner, the personal secretary for a militia leader charged with writing bogus liens to freeze the assets of local, state and national businesses. Richard Lance McLaren is the charismatic leader of the Republic of Texas ("R.O.T.") militia who easily manipulates his band of gullible followers motivated by desperation, greed, and a need to feel important. McLaren and his militia take hostages in the wilds of West Texas to exchange for the release of Turner and another ROT member. Three hundred law enforcement officials converge upon the scene, reminiscent of standoffs like those at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco, Texas.

McLaren promised Turner that he would help to recover her home and possessions lost in foreclosure once his independent nation known as the Republic of Texas gained sovereignty. Meanwhile he and his militia wrote thousands of checks bearing the official seal of the Texas treasury and cashed them at a bank in Puerto Rico. A delusional non-native Texan, McLaren aligns himself with the renowned historical heroes of The Alamo, as the liberator of a country that he believes was illegally annexed in 1845.

Texas Rangers and 300 law enforcement agents respond in a face off with McLaren and his militia for seven days. On day one, the local sheriff arrests one of the militia’s members and calls for backup as tri-county radio dispatches relay mixed messages misinterpreted by militia members. On day two an FBI consultant and a throng of international media converge on the scene to set up communications in a “satellite city.” Day three, Texas Rangers grow impatient and order an M88 armored tank to flatten 15 cars outside the militia’s headquarters, a shanty McLaren refers to as his “embassy.” Day four, supporters from across the state attempt to join the rebellion as one famous attorney attempts to orchestrate the group's diplomatic surrender. The pilot ends with a cliff-hanger on day five, as National Guardsmen snipers dressed in full protective body gear plan a full-on attack from a 6,000-foot ridge located behind the ROT embassy.

Future episodes, two through four, will follow the chaos that erupts in the Davis Mountains with detailed day-by-day actual accounts. A modern take on a western shootout follows with Texas Rangers searching on horseback, U.S. Army soldiers flying helicopters, and vigilantes on foot firing vintage hunting rifles. Dangerous rattlesnake-infested mesquite brush creates natural obstacles together with coyotes, bobcats and bears to foil the chase of one militia escapee. A ground patrol discovers homemade five-gallon propane bombs, tripwires and a loaded canon at the militia’s stronghold.

This is a true telling of a harebrained conspiracy of organized crime, bank and mail fraud, political shenanigans, and the use of illegally modified weapons. This script series adaptation is based upon the 2023 nonfiction book, Texas Secessionists Standoff: the 1997 Republic of Texas “War,” published by Texas A&M University Press.

THE TEXAS SECESSIONISTS (LIMITED TV SERIES PILOT 1-HOUR)