Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

The Latest: Last Oregon refuge occupier says he surrenders

Cliven Bundy Reacts to Arrest of Sons, Death of Friend

Steve Marcus

Rancher Cliven Bundy responds to a question from a reporter at his ranch near Bunkerville, Nev. Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. Bundy reacted to the arrest of his sons, Ammon and Ryan Bundy, and the death of his friend Robert “LaVoy” Finicum during a traffic stop in Oregon Tuesday.

Updated Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 | 11:27 a.m.

BURNS, Ore. — The Latest on the standoff at a national wildlife refuge in Oregon (all times local):

11:15 a.m.

The last occupier of the Oregon wildlife refuge says he turned himself in to authorities a couple of hours after three others walked out.

The surrender played out over a phone call on an open line streamed live on the Internet by an acquaintance of occupier David Fry. Fry, who shouted and rambled, had delayed leaving Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after he said the other three surrendered.

Fry said, "I'm walking toward them (FBI agents) right now" during the call with his acquaintance and a Nevada legislator who drove to the site to help negotiate the group's exit.

Rep. Judy Boyle, an Idaho state lawmaker, confirms that the four holdouts are in custody.

They were the last remnants of armed group that seized the refuge on Jan. 2 to oppose federal land use policies.

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10:20 a.m.

Federal prosecutors in Las Vegas are charging Cliven Bundy with conspiracy, assault on a federal officer, obstruction, weapon and other crimes.

A criminal complaint filed Thursday stems from Bundy's role at the center of a tense April 2014 armed standoff with federal officials near his ranch in Nevada.

It involved self-styled Bundy militia supporters pointing military-style weapons at federal agents trying to enforce a court order to round up Bundy cattle from federal rangeland near his ranch.

Bundy was arrested Wednesday night when he arrived at Portland International Airport from Las Vegas.

He's being held at the Multnomah County Jail pending an appearance in federal court. It wasn't immediately clear if he had a lawyer to represent him.

He is the father of the jailed leader of a group that occupied an Oregon federal wildlife refuge.

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9:55 a.m.

A live stream of a telephone call indicates three of the four remaining occupiers of an Oregon wildlife refuge have surrendered, but one is refusing to budge.

The surrender is playing out over a phone call on an open line streamed live on the Internet by an acquaintance of occupier David Fry, who delayed leaving Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after he said the other three walked out.

They are the last remnants of armed group that seized the refuge on Jan. 2 to oppose federal land use policies.

The FBI hasn't confirmed that the three surrendered, and the area was too far away for reporters at the scene to see.

Fry is on the call with his acquaintance and a Nevada legislator who drove to the site to aid in the surrender. Fry said Jeff Banta of Nevada and married couple Sean and Sandy Anderson of Idaho have left.

Fry says he "declares war against the federal government." The holdouts have been indicted with conspiracy to interfere with federal workers and have previously said they wanted assurances they won't face arrest.

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8:35 a.m.

The last four armed occupiers of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon say they're getting ready to turn themselves in after FBI agents came to the federal property and surrounded them.

Occupier Sean Anderson sounded nervous as preparations got underway Thursday to surrender at a checkpoint. They are the last remnants of the group that seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2, demanding the federal government turn over public lands to local control.

Anderson said that if the FBI double-crosses them, "all deals are off." But he says they still planned to surrender.

Anderson made the comment in a phone conversation with Nevada lawmaker Michele Fiore that was streamed live on the Internet.

Fiore was on her way to the refuge. The occupiers had asked that she be there when they surrendered.

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