Attorney Ethan Knight said in his closing arguments during the trial. “At the end of the day, there is an element of common sense that demonstrates the guilt of these defendants,” Assistant U.S. The government relied heavily on testimony from law enforcement, including Harney County Sheriff David Ward, as well as dozens of FBI agents who responded to the occupation or processed evidence at the Malheur refuge after the occupation ended. Throughout the government’s case, prosecutors attempted to show the jury evidence about when the alleged conspiracy began, as well as how the occupation unfolded and ultimately ended. Related: 41 Days: An OPB Documentary On The Oregon Occupation It was not immediately clear what effect the acquittals will have on pending Oregon case. Others have pleaded guilty or are scheduled to go to trial in February 2017. Only seven defendants went to trial in September. Some defendants named in the indictment also faced weapons charges for carrying firearms in a federal facility, as well as theft of government property. Fish and Wildlife employees from doing their jobs. Prosecutors initially charged Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy, and 24 others with conspiracy to prevent Bureau of Land Management and U.S. "Although we are extremely disappointed in the verdict, we respect the court and the role of the jury in the American judicial system." "For many weeks, hundreds of law enforcement officers - federal, state, and local - worked around-the-clock to resolve the armed occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge peacefully," said Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland. The message of the acquittals opening the door for future protests was something defendant Shawna Cox directly addressed on the steps of the Mark O. Wampler said he and others within the so-called patriot movement plan to "build on this tremendous victory for rural America." "We came to Oregon - to Harney County - seeking justice," defendant Neil Wampler said after his acquittal, "and today we found it." "Marcus let the emotion of the moment, I think, overtake his better judgement," Schindler said.ĭespite the scuffle, the defendants and their attorneys were elated with Thursday's trial result. "So acquitting him here, all it does is effectively release him to that hold, to be transported to Nevada. "There’s nothing Judge Brown can do about that," Schindler said. "There’s a hold for Ammon Bundy and Ryan Bundy out of the district of Nevada," said Matt Schindler, hybrid counsel for defendant Kenneth Medenbach, following the verdict. Marshals and Brown clearing the courtroom. The incident ended with Mumford being tackled by several U.S. Ammon Bundy is scheduled for transfer to Nevada, where he faces charges for the Bunkerville standoff.īrown told Mumford that his client was not allowed to leave, but the attorney persisted, raising his voice as he argued with the judge. Roosevelt was a champion for public lands who created the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon by a presidential order in 1908.ĭespite the victory in court, Ammon Bundy attorney Marcus Mumford insisted the acquittal did not go far enough.Īfter the verdicts were read, Mumford told Brown his client should be allowed to go free. The seven acquittals came on the birthday of president Theodore Roosevelt, Oct. There was little reaction in the courtroom to Bundy's acquittal, but it quickly became clear that no one in the case would be found guilty of the alleged conspiracy to impede federal workers from doing their jobs. "Did I read the verdict correctly?" Brown asked the jury for confirmation. District Court Judge Anna Brown - whose coffee mug appeared to read "It is what it is" - began by reading out the not guilty verdict for Ammon Bundy, the leader of the occupation. The 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was partly driven by the resentencing of Harney County ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond. An occupation supporter shouts "Free the Hammonds" outside the federal courthouse in Portland.
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