UFO witness claims harassment

By ANGELIA JOINER Staff Writer

Stephenville Empire-Tribune

Stephenville, Texas
Sunday, February 3, 2008 3:11 PM CST

http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2008/02/03/news/news02.txt

Ricky Sorrells is frustrated and a little angry.

Since his interview with the Associated Press, Sorrells has stayed quiet regarding the daytime UFO sightings on his property near Dublin.

And, there is more than one reason for his silence.

Sorrells believes military officials have been harassing him by flying military aircraft over his property at low altitudes, at all hours of the day and night. Sorrells runs livestock on his place and said the cattle don't react well to the disturbances. It's also been hard to get any sleep.

Sorrells made international news along with other witnesses on Jan. 14 after the Associated Press contacted him for his story and took video of the exact spot the UFO was seen along with Sorrells' description of the object.

Not just once, but four times, he claims to have seen the massive flying object he estimates to be the length of "three or four football fields." He said he's not sure about the size because the first time he saw it was the best view. At that time, the craft hovered directly over him in the woods about 300 feet above his head and his view was blocked by tree branches.

"I don't know why it keeps coming back here," Sorrells said.

He's convinced that someone representing himself as a Lt. Colonel knows what it is — and Sorrells wants an explanation.

He said the man contacted him by telephone on Jan. 15, one day after his interview with the Associated Press.

"I didn't worry about writing his name down or taking notes," Sorrells said. "I didn't know what was about to happen. But, I think he said he was with the Air Force."

Sorrells said the conversation started out nice enough.

"He was sort of nice to me right off," Sorrells said. "He asked to come and talk to me."

Sorrells said he told the man that he needed time to think about it and then, "He (the man) became really arrogant."

The caller told Sorrells he wasn't taking "no" for an answer and would be out to talk to him. Sorrells again tried to politely tell the man he did not wish to have company.

After that, Sorrells said the conversation became heated and he told the man not to cross his cattle guard.

Sorrells said the man responded with, " Son, we have the same caliber weapons as you do but a lot more of them."

Looking back, Sorrells said he believes the man was in his area but not able to pinpoint exactly where he lived because he recently built a new home.

"I actually got up and looked out my window to see if I could see someone at the cattle guard. So I said if he was who he said he was, why didn't he stop flying over my air space with all those helicopters," Sorrells said. "And he informed me that it was not my air space — it was his. He told me if I'd quit talking about what I saw he would stop the helicopters."

Sorrells said since that conversation, the helicopters have quit flying over his property but the F-16s haven't slowed.

Before the conversation took place with the suspected military officer Sorrells related a late night experience with a large transport helicopter and three smaller helicopters.

"I get up at 2:30 a.m. to go to work and these helicopters kept flying over and I couldn't sleep," Sorrells said. "Because it was about time to get up and go to work, I just got up and went outside to see what I could."

Sorrells said he has a spotlight on his pickup that he uses to look for coyotes.

"I went to my truck and turned on the spotlight and shined it up at them," Sorrells said. "It was so close, I could see the pilot's reaction. He threw up his arm to block the light. He was in one of the smaller helicopters.

"Then he turned toward me and I still have the light on. I started to feel uncomfortable so I turned off the light and waved and went back inside. I was thinking I had pushed the envelope."

To top that off, Sorrells said an acquaintance, whom he would not name, and formerly a member of the military, told him, "You need to shut your mouth about what you saw."

Sorrells said he tried to pull the man aside and asked him to explain his statement.

"He just kept saying the same thing and wouldn't explain," Sorrells said. " Now he won't speak to me."

Sorrells said because the helicopters disappeared, he now feels the gentlemen was actually a member of the military, and was high enough in rank that he was able to stop that type of air traffic.

"If it is a military craft the American people need to know," Sorrells said. "A lot of people have seen things around here. I know what I saw and so do they."