The four were the last of several dozen armed protesters who took over the refuge headquarters January 2 in a protest against federal public-lands policy.
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The arrests of the last four occupiers of the OR wildlife refuge followed the arrest of Cliven Bundy, a prominent anti-government activist, on February 10. He is the father of Ammon Bundy, the jailed leader of the occupation. Bundy led another armed stalemate between protestors and law enforcement in Nevada in 2014.
In a phone conversation streamed online, Ms. Fiore could be heard beforehand attempting to calm the sometimes panicky, sometimes defiant holdouts, telling them that, “I need you alive” to continue the fight against federal land-management authority. The Oregonian reports he now faces a conspiracy charge of interfering with a federal officer related to that standoff at his ranch.
Federal authorities say the family has not made payments toward a $1.1 million grazing fee and penalty bill.
He was charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, assault on a federal law officer by use of a deadly and risky weapon, interference with commerce by extortion, and obstruction of justice.
Fry, the final occupier of a remote federal property in OR, surrendered Thursday afternoon to federal authorities after a lengthy six-week standoff that had already claimed the life of one sympathizer and looked like it might claim another.
Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada, and married couple Sean Anderson, 48, and Sandy Anderson, 47, of Riggins, Idaho, surrendered peacefully, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
His detention means he’ll be housed in the same jail as his sons, the leaders of an armed group that occupied an OR wildlife refuge. He later said he was giving up.
The FBI confirmed Cliven Bundy’s was taken into federal custody but declined to provide a reason or other details, saying further information would be released by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Las Vegas, which did not respond to a phone call early Thursday.
Fry finally did surrender, after asking the waiting Federal Bureau of Investigation agents to shout “Hallelujah” as he turned himself in. Fry listed grievances and accusations against the federal government, and said that he was suicidal. “I’m exhausted of living”, Fry said during the phone call.
“Once we found it was in fact real, that they killed him, we got everybody together and we were preparing for a defense because we thought they were coming in right then to kill us”.
A Nevada lawmaker has been key in getting that agreement.
The skinny, bespectacled OH native from a military family has also expressed outrage when dealing with what appear to be minor criminal offences in his past. She came to Portland on Wednesday to show support for Ammon Bundy.
As The Two-Way reported earlier today, the surrender was negotiated with the help of Nevada state Assemblywoman Michele Fiore and evangelical leader Franklin Graham.
Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Portland and Peter DeFazio of Springfield on Thursday called for tough federal prosecution against both Bundy and the militants who ended their almost six-week long occupation the same day. Robert “LaVoy” Finicum was shot dead in that confrontation. The FBI said he was reaching for a pistol inside his jacket pocket.
A total of 12 people were arrested that week.
Most of the occupiers fled the refuge after that.
“On Thursday morning, Fiore exhorted them to lead by example and said they needed to stay alive to tell their stories”.
The FBI moved in after one of the occupiers rode an ATV outside “the barricades established by the militia” at the refuge, Bretzing said in a statement.
The FBI placed agents at barricades around the occupiers’ camp, Bretzing said.
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“It has never been the FBI’s desire to engage these armed occupiers in any way other than through dialogue”, he said.
