Ammon Bundy, the leader of the occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge argued that the protest wasn’t violent and there was never an armed standoff.
Advertisement
The indictment includes four people who remain at the wildlife refuge as of Thursday: Sean Anderson, David Lee Fry, Jeff Wayne Banta and Sandra Lynn Pfeifer Anderson.
He is the son of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who has been involved in a high-profile dispute over grazing cattle on federal land in that state.
A federal grand jury charged all with felony conspiracy, accusing them of using intimidation to prevent federal officers from doing their work at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
From November until the end of January, the indictment says, defendants went to Harney County “to intimidate and coerce” residents “in order to effectuate the goals of the conspiracy”.
After asking his colleagues to go home last week, Ammon Bundy is now asking the authorities to leave. One occupier, Robert LaVoy Finicum, 55, was shot and killed by state police during the incident. “This should be shocking to all Americans – especially those that disagree with Ammon Bundy’s message”.
Additional security officers were sent to preserves in southern Oregon, Northern California and Nevada as four occupiers remain holed up at the refuge and say they will not leave without assurances they won’t be arrested.
Experts say federal officials have allowed the armed occupation of an OR wildlife refuge to drag on for more than a month as part of a strategy learned from past standoffs ending in bloodshed.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation declined comment Thursday, but the lack of movement in recent days indicates that negotiators were not offering amnesty. Among those named in the indictment are the protesters who were arrested last week during a botched traffic stop that left protester “LaVoy” Finicum dead under what some consider to be questionable circumstances.
After the occupation unraveled following the arrests, only four protesters remained at the refuge.
“They’ve kind of put the call out nationwide”, Alldredge said. But authorities say the 54-year-old was reaching for a gun during a confrontation on a remote road.
Advertisement
‘Due to the evolving situation in eastern OR, all service stations are on alert and being advised to take appropriate caution, ‘ Shire said in a statement.
