[2] Drega had a long history of conflict with government officials over code enforcement issues, starting in the 1970s over whether he could use tar paper to side his vacation house in Columbia, New Hampshire, on the banks of the Connecticut River.
Drega decided to dump and pack enough dirt to repair the erosion damage, saying this would restore his lot to its original size.
Drega bought a Colt AR-15 rifle and armored vest, and began equipping his property with early-warning electronic noise and motion detectors.
On August 19, 1997, at about 2:30 p.m., New Hampshire state trooper Scott Phillips stopped Drega in the parking lot of LaPerle's IGA supermarket in neighboring Colebrook for having too much rust on his pickup truck.
Drega then stole Phillips' police car, and drove to the office of Colebrook District Court judge Vickie Bunnell.
Dennis Joos, editor of the local Colebrook News and Sentinel, attempted to disarm Drega after Bunnell fell.
New Hampshire Fish & Game Warden Wayne Saunders observed Drega driving the state police car.
Eventually, NH state trooper Charles West and Border Patrol agent Stephen Brooks advanced up a slope to Drega's position.