‘Kook’ convicted
Tunnel gun nut ’fesses
The anti-drug crusader who was busted at the Holland Tunnel in a souped-up vehicle filled with guns on his way to rescue a teen in Brooklyn pleaded guilty Monday to weapons charges.
John Cramsey, 52, of East Greenville, Pa., and two cohorts were collared on the New Jersey side of the tunnel in June 2016 in a weapons-laden truck covered in decals reading, among other things, “God Guns Guts Made America Free.”
He said he, Dean Smith, 53, and Kimberly Arendt, 29 — a trio dubbed the “Kooks of Hazard” — were going to rescue Jenea Pat- terson, 18, who died months later of an overdose.
Acquaintances said the gun-range owner became an anti-drug crusader after his daughter died.
Police recovered an AR-15 assault rifle, a 12gauge shotgun and several handguns in the vehicle.
Asked after Monday’s hearing in Hudson County Superior Court if he would do what he did again, Cramsey said yes but he would be more cautious.
“I would have carried her out if I’d had the chance,” he said. “I still would to this day. If I’d had to leave my truck there and run to get that girl, I would have.”
Cramsey pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a gun and possession for an unlawful purpose.
Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years, but under Cramsey’s plea deal, his attorney can apply for a probationary sentence that would not include prison.
Smith and Arendt were accepted this year into a pretrial intervention program. If completed, the program can lead to charges being dropped.