Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
The headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge were occupied by armed militants in early 2016
DateJanuary 2, 2016 (2016-01-02) – February 11, 2016 (2016-02-11)
(40 days)
Location
Harney County, Oregon
(30 mi (48 km) south of Burns, Oregon)

43°15′55″N 118°50′39″W / 43.265404°N 118.844272°W / 43.265404; -118.844272
Caused by
Goals
  • Short-term:
    • Disrupt the work of federal employees at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge[3]
    • Release of Dwight and Steven Hammond from custody and the establishment of an "independent evidentiary hearing board" by state and county representatives to re-examine the Hammond's case[4]
  • Long-term:
Methods
Resulted in
  • 26 militants were all indicted and arrested for federal felony conspiracy offenses and some other individual charges. A 27th militant was indicted and arrested for theft of federal property, but not for conspiracy.
  • Charges against one defendant, Peter Santilli, were dropped
  • Twelve pleaded guilty
  • Seven were acquitted by a federal jury on October 27, 2016[9]
  • Four were convicted by a federal jury on March 20, 2017
  • A total of $78,000 in fines between $3,000 and $10,000 were assessed against thirteen defendants
  • Nine were sent to prison
  • One militant was killed while resisting arrest and one militant was wounded before being arrested.
Parties
Lead figures
Number
  • FBI – unknown
  • Oregon State Police – unknown
  • ~37 local police[22][23]

40 (Los Angeles Times estimate)
"Several dozen" (The Washington Post estimate)

20 to 25 (The Oregonian estimate)
One occupier dead, one wounded
Death(s)Robert LaVoy Finicum[24]
InjuriesRyan Bundy[25]
Arrested27
Charged27
Fined13
Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is located in Oregon
Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Location in Oregon
Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is located in the United States
Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (the United States)

On January 2, 2016, an armed group of right-wing militants[26] seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon,[27] and continued to occupy it until law enforcement made a final arrest on February 11, 2016.[28] Their leader was Ammon Bundy, who participated in the 2014 Bundy standoff at his father's Nevada ranch. Other members of the group were loosely affiliated with non-governmental militias and the sovereign citizen movement.

The organizers were seeking an opportunity to advance their view that the federal government is constitutionally required to turn over most of the federal public land they manage to the individual states, in particular land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), United States Forest Service (USFS), and other agencies.[29] In 2015, the militants believed they could do this by protesting the treatment of two area ranchers convicted of federal land arson, who they believed were wrongly convicted, even though the men in question, Dwight and Steven Dwight Hammond, father and son, did not want their assistance.[30] The occupation began when Bundy led an armed party to the refuge headquarters following a peaceful public rally in the nearby city of Burns.[31]

By February 11, all of the militants had surrendered or withdrawn from the occupation, with several leaders having been arrested after leaving the site; one of them, Robert LaVoy Finicum, was shot and killed during an attempt to arrest him after he reached toward a handgun concealed in his pocket[32][33] after he tried to evade a roadblock; Ryan Bundy was wounded. More than two dozen of the militants were charged with federal offenses including conspiracy to obstruct federal officers, firearms violations, theft, and depredation of federal property.

By August 2017, a dozen had pleaded guilty, and six of those had been sentenced to 1–2 years' probation, some including house arrest. Seven others, including Ammon and Ryan Bundy, were tried and acquitted of all federal charges. Five more had been found guilty and were sentenced months later. Seven of the militants saw prison time for their roles in the occupation. Jake Ryan and Duane Ehmer each received 366 days in prison, with Ryan additionally getting three years of supervised probation. Darryl Thorn received 18 months of prison time on November 21, 2017.[34] Jason Patrick received 21 months on February 15, 2018. Ryan Payne was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison along with three years of supervision on February 27, 2018. Jon Ritzheimer was sentenced to 366 days in federal prison and another 12 months in a residential re-entry program. Corey Lequieu was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervision. Two others, Joe O'Shaughnessy and Brian Cavalier, were detained for at least a year, but released on time served plus three years of supervision each, plus fines.[35]

  1. ^ Bernstein, Maxine (April 25, 2016). "Ammon Bundy to challenge authority of feds to prosecute Oregon standoff defendants". The Oregonian/OregonLive.com. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  2. ^ Ammon Bundy Believes the "Lord is not pleased" with the US Federal Government. Youtube clip by Ammon Bundy, January 1, 2016. Downloaded March 14, 2022
  3. ^ Sepulvado, John (January 10, 2016) [1st pub. January 9, 2016]. "Ryan Bundy: Guns Show We're Serious". Portland, Oregon: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  4. ^ Terhune, Katie (January 4, 2016). "Militia members speak out about occupation of wildlife refuge". Asheville Citizen-Times. Tysons Corner, Virginia: Gannett Company. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Zaitz, Les (January 3, 2016). "Militia takes over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters". The Oregonian/OregonLive.com. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Brown, Karina (May 10, 2016). "Bundy Filing Shows Intent Behind Refuge Takeover". Pasadena, California. Courthouse News Service. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  7. ^ Casey, Lissa; Arnold, Michael (May 9, 2016). "Defendant Ammon Bundy's Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction" (PDF). Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  8. ^ "NOTICE: Redress of Grievance". Bundy Ranch (Blog). December 11, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  9. ^ Levin, Sam; Dake, Lauren (October 27, 2016). "Bundy brothers found not guilty of conspiracy in Oregon militia standoff". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Zaitz, Les (January 5, 2016). "Militants continue occupation of Oregon refuge, police keep low profile". The Oregonian/OregonLive.com. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  11. ^ Stack, Liam; Fandos, Nicholas (January 3, 2016). "Wildlife Refuge Occupied in Protest of Oregon Ranchers' Prison Terms". The New York Times. New York. p. A13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hart.Willingham was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Taylor_fed_up was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Flowers, Shaunee (January 8, 2016). "Ammon Bundy Met With Harney County Sheriff, Refuses To Leave Malheur National Wildlife Refuge". The Inquisitr. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  15. ^ Valdes, Manuel (January 9, 2016). "Armed Group Not Ready to End Wildlife Refuge Occupation". ABC News. New York: American Broadcasting Company. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  16. ^ Moore, Wanda; Lerten, Barney (January 4, 2016). "Militia leader explains takeover, says group has name". Bend, Oregon: KTVZ. Archived from the original on January 4, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  17. ^ Moore, Wanda; Lerten, Barney (January 5, 2016). "Harney County sheriff urges others not to join refuge 'militants'". Bend, Oregon: KTVZ. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  18. ^ Leeds, Tyler (January 4, 2016). "Central Oregon activists in Burns: Occupiers hijacked trust". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon: Western Communications. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  19. ^ Sullivan, Andy (January 5, 2016). "Oregon activists picked the wrong battle, militia leaders say". Reuters. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  20. ^ Bult, Laura (January 5, 2016). "Ryan Bundy, one of the leaders of the armed activists occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, says locals support them". Daily News. New York. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (January 4, 2016). "Meet the veterans who have joined the Oregon militiamen". The Washington Post. Arlington, Virginia: Nash Holdings LLC. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  22. ^ Pamplin Media Group (January 6, 2016). "Sheriffs respond to Harney County's call for help". Portland Tribune. Portland, Oregon: Pamplin Media Group. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  23. ^ Roberts, Heather (January 6, 2016). "DCSO Responds to Harney County Request". Bend, Oregon: KBND. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  24. ^ Jamieson, Alastair; Johnson, Alex; Calabrese, Erin; Lamarre, Gisele; Williams, Pete; Blankstein, Andrew; Walters, Shamar (January 27, 2016). "Oregon Occupation Leaders Arrested, One Dead in Shooting". NBC News. New York: NBC. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  25. ^ What LaVoy Finicum shooting investigation found. The Oregonian, March 8, 2016
  26. ^ "In Oregon, Harney County's Economy Is Rebounding Nearly 4 Years After Refuge". NPR. December 26, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  27. ^ Berry, Harrison (January 3, 2016). "Militia Group Seizes Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters". Boise Weekly. Boise, Idaho. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  28. ^ Wilson, Conrad; Rosman, John (February 11, 2016). "Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Occupation Ends". Portland, Oregon: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  29. ^ Fantz, Ashley (January 6, 2016). "Oregon standoff: What the armed group wants and why". CNN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  30. ^ Zaitz, Les (February 22, 2016) [1st pub. December 30, 2015]. "Militiamen, ranchers in showdown for soul of Burns". The Oregonian/OregonLive.com. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  31. ^ Thomas, Judy L. (January 6, 2016). "Experts: Oregon standoff may be small, but it's just the tip of a growing militia iceberg". The Kansas City Star. Sacramento, California: The McClatchy Company. ISSN 0745-1067. Retrieved January 20, 2016. The rally was peaceful, authorities said. ... But afterward, a group of armed militants split off, went to the wildlife refuge 30 miles away and took it over. Ammon Bundy had been acting as the group's leader, and they say they won't back down until the government relinquishes the federal refuge to the people.
  32. ^ Zaitz, Les (March 8, 2016). "What LaVoy Finicum shooting investigation found". The Oregonian/OregonLive.com. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  33. ^ Zaitz, Les (March 8, 2016). "Bullet hole on LaVoy Finicum's truck traced to elite FBI team". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  34. ^ Wilson, Conrad. "Malheur Occupier Darryl Thorn Sentenced To 18 Months In Prison". www.opb.org. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  35. ^ Wiles, Tay. Acquitted, convicted, fined or free: after the Oregon standoff. High Country News. April 2018.