Harney County Sheriff officials said two vehicles had been reported stolen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and were recovered during the arrest.
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Medenbach is part of the militant group holed up at the wildlife refuge buildings for the past 13 days.
As the standoff has lingered on, Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward has asked locals to stop sending supplies and food to the men at the refuge.
A police vehicle drives through a downtown street in Burns, Oregon, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016.
The armed militia members are nearing two weeks at the refuge.
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File). Thousands of archeological artifacts and maps detailing where m…
Shortly after noon on Friday, (1/15/16) Oregon State Police arrested Kenneth Medenbach, 62, of Crescent, Oregon, at the Safeway in Burns, Oregon.
It was unclear if Medenbach has a lawyer. Medenbach’s arguments did not prevail in court, the newspaper reported.
BuzzFeed News observed several of the men driving trucks with government plates at the refuge, including some with decals for the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service. People living in those areas rely on the federal reserves for forage, water, timber, energy, mineral and other resources that are increasingly made off-limits, on the ground that “beneficial uses” might impact wildlife, scenic or environmental values.
“If we all keep a calm about us everything will be OK”, said Brenda Pointere, who was coming out of a Burns restaurant. The statement goes on to say that the county can’t block use of public facilities “as long as we follow the normal process”.
The ordeal has been a headache for Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward (the tire’s on his wife’s vehicle were slashed and his parents intimidated), but the veteran of military tours in Somalia and Afghanistan wants the situation to end peacefully.
The fact that Bundy and the other protesters are illegally occupying federal property would likely bolster to the county government’s argument, he said.
The Bundys had planned a meeting with community members Friday night, but that is in limbo after county officials said they couldn’t use the local fairground. Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, an Arizona rancher who is participating in the occupation, told reporters Friday that Bundy is preparing a PowerPoint presentation for the gathering.
The group has previously said they would not leave until a plan was in place to turn over federal lands to local authorities.
Locals who agreed to be interviewed were themselves conflicted, expressing anger toward federal land policies but bothered by the armed takeover.
Meanwhile, occupiers at the refuge said they were hopeful a meeting could be arranged for Monday evening.
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But McCanna, 54, also said the ranchers’ return to prison was wrong, and that he was irked that the U.S. Forest Service closed off access to one of his favorite camping spots in nearby Malheur National Forest.
