Ammon Bundy, other armed protesters at Oregon wildlife refuge, indicted

The four remaining occupiers at an Oregon wildlife refuge all face charges, according to court documents unsealed Thursday.

The indictment names a total of 16 defendants, including standoff leader Ammon Bundy and other occupiers who were arrested last week.

A federal grand jury charged all with felony conspiracy, accused of using intimidation to prevent federal officers from doing their work at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

The armed holdouts have said they wouldn't leave until receiving assurances they wouldn't be charged.

The indictment says two conspirators traveled to the area in October to warn the local sheriff of "extreme civil unrest" if certain demands weren't met.

Authorities arrested 11 people last week on a criminal complaint charging them with felony conspiracy. They were accused of using intimidation to prevent federal officers from doing their work at the refuge in sparsely populated southeast Oregon.

In a criminal complaint, defendants have a right to a preliminary hearing in which they can question the arresting officer under oath about probable cause for the charges.

After an indictment, they are no longer entitled to such a proceeding.

The cancellation of preliminary hearings that had been scheduled for Wednesday dismayed attorneys for the accused.

Lisa Hay, who represents defendant Ryan Payne, said it appears prosecutors moved to scrap the hearings even before the indictment had been handed down. She was also annoyed that prosecutors presented the indictment to the judge and not to defense attorneys.

"That's an unusual thing and it's unfortunate in a case like this, where many of the people distrust the government to begin with," Hay said.

The occupation began Jan. 2, with the group demanding the federal government turn public lands over to local control. The remaining occupiers are David Fry, 27, of Blanchester, Ohio; Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada; and Sean Anderson, 48, and Sandy Anderson, 47, a married couple from Riggins, Idaho.

The government is building a case to show the occupation was a threat to residents and federal employees. Prosecutors say the group was ready to use violence to hold on to the refuge.

Defense attorneys have said their clients engaged in civil disobedience and are being punished for political speech. They say the only use of force during the standoff was by police, who shot and killed occupier Robert "LaVoy" Finicum during a Jan. 26 traffic stop. Bundy and others were then taken into custody.

Federal authorities have released aerial video and said Finicum was going for a gun in his jacket pocket.

In a separate matter, an attorney for Shawna Cox -- a defendant allowed to return home to Utah as her case goes through the court system -- asked Wednesday for her client to be allowed to attend Finicum's funeral on Friday. The funeral is in the same town where Cox lives.

Judge Stewart denied the request.

www.foxnews.com...


This is what happens when Americans practice in civil disobedience. You would have believed that all these people had murdered someone.

I have seen murders get better treatment then this. I see some underhanded crap going on in these proceeding against the accused and their attorneys.

Seems to me the State wants to make an example out of these people who are being charged.

So ATS what do you think?

a reply to: Informer1958
Already posted I believe here: www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: Informer1958

You've seen murderers treated better? Huh? These men clearly broke the law and are not practicing civil disobedience. MLK practiced civil disobedience, not this militia.

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: Informer1958

You've seen murderers treated better? Huh? These men clearly broke the law and are not practicing civil disobedience. MLK practiced civil disobedience, not this militia.

MLK didn't have his supporters aim rifles at travellers on interstate highways from overpasses.
MLK didn't have his supporters take over a federal building and threaten violence on anyone who
tried to stop them from illegally doing such...

Eta: okay, so Cliven Bundy was the Bundy that had the snipers...apple doesn't fall far from the tree sometimes. Barbed wire killed the need for cowboys yet some people feel the need to jangle their spurs.

a reply to: Informer1958

What part of storming and taking over a federal building while armed and almost running over a federal agent would you consider civil?

No this is the consequences of the actions these criminals took

a reply to: the owlbear

Don't think he had his supporters using motor vehicles that didn't belong to them all willy nilly, either. Not sure though.

They'll have to mobilize the National Guard to serve the warrants.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: the owlbear

Don't think he had his supporters using motor vehicles that didn't belong to them all willy nilly, either. Not sure though.

I should have added quite a few more "..."'s...
Ever since the first go around, Bundy and his group got away with a LOT of activity an individual would be arrested for on their own.

Meh/ They were indicted mainly for preventing public officials from performing their duties, taking over and trashing public property, and threatening people. The Ranger staff has been prevented from working for several weeks now. They're all paid public employees with a little enforced time off. These guys took over the building and trashed it. You can see this in the videos of the place they took themselves. They threatened people with harm. You can see this in the video feeds they transmitted on YouTube over and over again. They've basically proven themselves guilty with their own words and film.

And...this is old news. It was posted this morning.

a reply to: the owlbear

Pretty much the entire point of my post.

a reply to: Informer1958

I think your assessment of the situation is right on. I am also embarrassed and ashamed that our country has produced so many clueless, un-American, trend followers, that they can form a reach around club on ATS.

a reply to: JohnthePhilistine

I think it's pretty pathetic how quickly so many are to put Bundy up on a pedestal. Right after he caves and tells everybody to go home.

How patriotic

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: the owlbear

Pretty much the entire point of my post.

Sorry, I know. I just got excited. Not excited enough to grab a gun and squat in the toilet facilities of the nearest national park, but excited enough to add a few sentences.

Any of youse wanna buy a good used rope.....
I see the railroad is getting up steam....
Expect long and stiff sentences to be handed down by a kangaroo court.....
Youll all be satisfied then I hope...or do you want blood too....

a reply to: bandersnatch

Blood makes the grass grow.

But no, seriously, I'll say it again because it bears repeating: lack of support for one side does not equate to support for the other. Perhaps instead of posting cryptic nonsense implying "something" is going to happen soon (as has been said for decades now), you and other militia supporters could do a better job of explaining why I should be impressed.

So far the only reasons I've been given are that the militia is protesting an over reaching government. That, and various refrains of "those poor guys." Nobody seems to want to explain WHY they're "those poor guys" though. At least not beyond "they're standing up to the Feds!"

Mmk. How? How is what they're doing in Oregon protesting the BLM?

Try explaining your take on things instead of immediately defaulting to "you're a gubmint lovin tyrant supportin shill" and it might get you somewhere.

a reply to: JohnthePhilistine

un-American, trend followers, that they can form a reach around club on ATS.

Apparently true.

Some have put our government on a pedestal and cannot see any corruption by our government in their actions, this is well demonstrated in this thread.

a reply to: bandersnatch

What a fantastical stretch, to extrapolate what you think is another persons position into being that of a blood thirsty vigilante.

Well for a starter they were all denied a preliminary hearing....
I never said I was a militia member or supporter.....nor am I per se....Im a people supporter though.....
You are talking to an essentially anarchist human....

a reply to: TerryMcGuire
Ive read your vituperation elsewhere....don't give me that bat puckey

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

What a fantastical stretch, to extrapolate what you think is another persons position into being that of a blood thirsty vigilante.

Well it is a fact that some of the posters on here are.

Youll all be satisfied then I hope...or do you want blood too....

bandersnatch, was just pointing out the facts of how some ATS posters are behaving about this event. And I agree with him.