Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Last refuge occupiers give in
Four to be arraigned today on federal conspiracy charges
BURNS, Ore. — Surrounded by FBI agents, the last four occupiers of a federal nature preserve surrendered Thursday, and a leader in their movement who organized a 2014 standoff with authorities was criminally charged in federal court.
The FBI said the final four occupiers were arrested as they walked out of the refuge to the FBI checkpoint. No one was injured, and no shots were fired.
The holdouts were the last remnants of a larger group that seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge nearly six weeks ago, demanding that the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned for setting fires. For the first time since Jan. 2, the federal land was fully under the control of the U.S. government.
The final occupiers were David Fry, 27, of Blanchester, Ohio; Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nev.; and married couple Sean Anderson, 48, and Sandy Anderson, 47, of Riggins, Idaho.
They were to be arraigned today in Portland. The holdouts and 12 others connected with the Oregon occupation that used the name Citizens for Constitutional Freedom have been charged with conspiracy to interfere with federal workers.
Federal prosecutors also said nine additional people from six states have been charged in connection with the armed occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge. They all face the same felony count of conspiracy to interfere with federal workers. The U.S. attorney’s office in Oregon said seven of them were arrested Thursday and two remained at large Thursday night.
The newly charged include: Blaine Cooper of Arizona; Wesley Kjar of Utah; Corey Lequieu of Nevada; Neil Wampler of California, Jason Blomgren of North Carolina, and Darryl Thorn and Eric Flores, both of Washington state. The names of the two being sought were not released Thursday.
Meanwhile, Cliven Bundy, who was at the center of the 2014 standoff at his ranch in Nevada, was arrested late Wednesday in Portland after encouraging the Oregon occupiers not to give up. Bundy is the father of Ammon Bundy, the jailed leader of the Oregon occupation.
On Thursday, the elder Bundy was charged in the
standoff from two years ago.
Bundy, 69, was charged with conspiracy, assault on a federal officer, obstruction, weapons charges and other crimes. He’s accused of leading supporters who pointed military-style weapons at federal agents trying to enforce a court order to round up Bundy cattle from federal rangeland.
It was not immediately clear whether Bundy had a lawyer ahead of a court appearance in Portland.
Federal authorities said the Bundy family has not made payments toward a $1.1 million grazing fee and penalty bill.
The FBI began moving in Wednesday evening, surrounding the occupiers’ encampment with armored vehicles. Over the next several hours, the occupiers’ negotiation with FBI agents could be heard live on the Internet, broadcast by a sympathizer of the occupiers who established phone contact with them.
Michele Fiore, a Nevada lawmaker and friend of the Bundy family, called into the online talk show to try to calm down the occupiers.
Speaking with the four holdouts, Fiore urged them to surrender peacefully to the FBI so that they could continue to spread their message.
“A dead man can’t talk, a dead man can’t write,” she told them. “We have to just stay together, stay alive.”
The occupiers replied that they would walk out to meet the FBI, stressing repeatedly
that they would be unarmed, leaving their guns behind.
The Andersons and Banta surrendered first on Thursday.
Fry initially refused to join them and said he was declaring war against the federal government, before surrendering about 11 a.m. without incident.
The Oregon standoff began when Ammon Bundy and his followers took over the refuge south of Burns. Federal agents, Oregon state troopers and sheriff’s deputies monitored the occupation to avoid a confrontation.
On Jan. 26, Bundy and four other occupation leaders were arrested in a confrontation with FBI agents that left activist Robert “LaVoy” Finicum dead.
A total of 12 people were arrested that week. The remaining four activists remained at the refuge until surrendering Thursday.
Oregon elected officials praised the end of the occupation but said it will take a while for the rural area to recover. Gov. Kate Brown called the episode “very traumatic.”
At a news conference, Greg Bretzing, FBI special agent in charge in Oregon, said authorities would examine buildings at the refuge to ensure nobody else was hiding out. After that, he said specialized teams would look for “explosive-related hazards.” He said that could take several days.
Also, he said, a special team will work with a local tribe to document any damage to artifacts and ancient burial grounds at the property.