Bundy: ‘Stand down’

BURNS — A day after eight members of an armed anti-government group were arrested and a ninth was killed, their jailed leader on Wednesday urged a handful of remaining militants to abandon the Oregon wildlife refuge they have occupied for more than three weeks and where they are now surrounded by federal agents.

After militant leader Ammon Bundy made his first court appearance in Portland on Wednesday, his attorney, Mike Arnold, read this statement from his client: “Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is now in the courts.”

Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Wednesday night that the FBI was in active negotiations with the militants still inside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge compound. Law enforcement officials, speaking on background, said some militants had left already, but the officials were not able to confirm how many or whom, OPB said.

Militant David Fry said five people remained in the occupied refuge. He told OPB he personally had no plans to leave. When asked about Bundy’s call to leave the refuge, Fry simply said, “We have new leaders now and new plans.”

Fry himself declared on Twitter Wednesday night that “we are in talks with the FBI right now about an exit plan.”

A long convoy of law enforcement vehicles arrived at the Harney County Courthouse Wednesday night without explanation, The Oregonian reported.

There is a huge law enforcement presence in the region, and the FBI set up checkpoints outside the refuge. The roadblocks were heavily manned Wednesday by state police dressed in military fatigues and rifles at the ready.

Late Wednesday night, the FBI said a total of eight people had left the refuge after the checkpoints were established. Of those eight, the FBI said it released five and arrested three.

The three arrested were identified as Duane Ehmer, 45, of Irrigon; Dylan Anderson, 34, of Provo, Utah; and Jason S. Patrick, 43, of Bonaire, Ga. Ehmer was widely photographed early in the standoff when he rode onto the refuge grounds carrying an U.S. flag while riding a horse named Hellboy.

For many Harney County residents, the arrest of Bundy and the others seemed to provide palpable relief.

“Yay! Bundy got arrested!” exclaimed a restaurant server at a nearby cafe on Wednesday afternoon.

The server, who initially gave her name but then asked that it not be included for fear of reprisals, didn’t give the remaining occupiers much hope.

“I’m glad it’s done and over with,” she said. “Just like in the movies, if the leaders are gone, the rest will have to scatter, because who’re they going to look up to?”

Her sentiment was shared by many, but not all, Harney County residents. At the cafe, she was challenged by two male customers who disagreed with her.

“Yay?” one of the men said. “When a man got shot to death? You better get a (expletive) education. Read the Constitution,” he said, handing her a pocket copy.

After they left, the server dropped it in the wastebasket.

Differing accounts of shooting

Much of the conversation among local residents centered on the confrontation Tuesday on a remote highway that resulted in the arrest of Bundy and the others, and in the death of militant Robert LaVoy Finicum.

Bundy followers gave conflicting accounts of how Finicum died. One said Finicum charged at FBI agents, who then shot him. A member of the Bundy family said Finicum did nothing to provoke the agents.

An Oregon man who claimed to witness the shootout said he heard about a half-dozen shots but didn’t see anyone get hit, and that the shooting happened quickly — over maybe 12 or 15 seconds. Raymond Doherty told KOIN-TV that he was about 100 feet back and couldn’t see who specifically was shooting. But, he added, “I saw them shooting at each other.”

In a video posted to Facebook, Mike McConnell said he was driving a vehicle carrying Ammon Bundy and another occupier, Brian Cavalier. He said Finicum was driving a truck and with him were Ryan Bundy — Ammon’s brother — as well as three others.

He said the convoy was driving through a forest when they were stopped by agents in heavy-duty trucks. He said agents first pulled him out of the vehicle, followed by Ammon Bundy and Cavalier.

When agents approached the truck driven by Finicum, he drove off with officers in pursuit. McConnell said he did not see what happened next, but he heard from others who were in that vehicle that they encountered a roadblock.

The truck got stuck in a snowbank, and Finicum got out and “charged them. He went after them,” McConnell said.

There was no immediate way to confirm the accounts. Authorities refused to release any details about the encounter or even to verify that it was Finicum who was killed.

A candlelight vigil in Finicum’s memory was held Wednesday night in Burns, the Bend Bulletin reported.

Also on Wednesday, a federal judge in Portland unsealed a criminal complaint that said the armed group had explosives and night-vision goggles and that they were prepared to fight at the refuge or in nearby Burns.

“Sometimes, our choices go bad”

Federal law officials and Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward held a news conference Wednesday morning in which they called on the rest of the occupiers to go home.

“Let me be clear, it is the actions and choices of the arrested occupiers at the refuge that has led us to where we are today,” FBI Special Agent Greg Bretzing said at the packed press conference at the Harney County Community Center in downtown Burns.

“They had ample opportunity to leave the refuge. Actions are not without consequences. The disruption to the good people of Harney County … will continue for awhile longer.

“If the people on the refuge want to leave, they’re free to do so through the checkpoints, where they will be identified. If they have questions or concerns, they can contact the negotiators on the telephone number that has been provided to them.”

An emotional Ward, speaking at the press conference, talked about the toll the occupation has taken on the community.

He said he had been “working on a peaceful solution since Nov. 5, when several of the individuals arrested (Tuesday) came into my office. They had ultimatums that I couldn’t meet. I’m here to uphold the law.

“I’m disappointed that a traffic stop (Tuesday) that was supposed to bring peaceful resolution to this ended badly,” Ward said. “It didn’t have to happen. We all make choices in life. Sometimes, our choices go bad.”

Clearly not everyone agreed with the sheriff.

After the press conference, a man who identified himself as B.J. Sober, of Redmond, said he is a member of the Pacific Patriot Network. He stood on the sidewalk outside the community center and gave his version of Tuesday’s incident on Highway 395.

The occupation “never threatened violence,” he said. “And we have an armed ambush?”

“Was there a different way to go about this?” Sober asked as several media members circled around him. “Sure there was. But look at how much attention this has brought. Look at how much media is here and how many elected officials have (spoken up).

“It’s important that the American people understand what’s happening out here in the American West. It’s important that people understand what happened to LaVoy Finicum.”

“This can’t happen anymore”

Ward has a much different viewpoint. The occupation, he said, has created a lot of community stress.

“It hasn’t just been isolated to the refuge,” he said. “Some of these folks have spent a lot of time in town trying to stir some issues in the community.

“If we have issues with the way things are going in our government, we have a responsibility as citizens to act on those in an appropriate manner,” Ward said. “We don’t arm up and rebel. We work through the appropriate channels.

“This can’t happen anymore,” he said. “This can’t happen in America, and it can’t happen in Harney County.”

Some local business owners said they’re still concerned about speaking out, one way or the other, knowing their opinions could affect their livelihood.

“I think the FBI did their job,” said the owner of a popular restaurant in the middle of Burns who did not want to disclose his name.

“I’ve got to live in this town for a long time. There’s been a lot of people who’ve stuck their foot in a cowpie, and it’s gonna stink for a long time,” he said of business owners who have voiced their views.

But is he glad the Bundys are gone?

“Yes,” he said. “No matter how good it was for business.”