Sheriff: Oregon Militiamen To Face Charges For Taking Over Federal Building

Harney County Sheriff David Ward speaks to the media on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, in Burns, Ore. Ward said the father and son ranchers convicted of setting fire to federal grazing land have reported to prison. A group ca... Harney County Sheriff David Ward speaks to the media on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, in Burns, Ore. Ward said the father and son ranchers convicted of setting fire to federal grazing land have reported to prison. A group calling itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom sent a "demand for redress" to local, state and federal officials as they occupied a federal wildlife reserve. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) MORE LESS
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The sheriff whose jurisdiction includes the isolated Oregon wildlife refuge taken over by a small group of armed men told Oregon Public Broadcasting in a Tuesday interview that the men would face charges for their actions.

“The bureau has assured me that those at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge will at some point face charges,” Harney County Sheriff David Ward said, referring to the FBI.

He declined to provide the radio station with information about what those charges would be.

The FBI was handling a criminal case against the men, who have occupied the refuge in a rural corner of eastern Oregon since Saturday night, according to the report. Ward and other local law enforcement officers were focused on protecting the residents of the nearby town of Burns and the surrounding community.

Listen to the full interview with Burns below:

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Notable Replies

  1. Seems to me that the sheriff has stood up to them pretty well, and when the dispute is on federal land, the feds have jurisdiction, not the local folks.

  2. “The bureau has assured me that those at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge will at some point face charges,”

    Will an army of militarized local law enforcement officers with riot gear, tanks, and war zone-type weapons go in and get them…oh wait that’s for unarmed, non-Caucasian protesters, who have the audacity to express themselves.

    People of Color all across the nation are watching this unfold, and adding another chapter to the book of “look at this bullshit here.”

  3. I suggest carpet-bombing just to loosen them up a bit and then send in the Chicago cops. That should do it.

  4. Well it won’t be all that long. What do the military vets here in TPM have to say?

    In a week they’ll stink. Their necks, back and crotch will itch and their armpits will burn. Their cloths will accumulate body oils and lose their thermal value. Their mouths will taste like stale garlic and have a gritty feel. They won’t be able to sleep well. They’ll get horribly constipated. Then their feet will lose sensitivity and the skin on them will peel off in sheets. They’ll get painful lesions between their toes and fear removing their fetid socks since the skin comes off with them. They’ll be heartbroken…lost and ask themselves what’s the point.

    What do you say combat vets? Remember all that? Well these guys can just walk away. No bodies to carry and no waiting for an extraction. There’s a shower and a burger waiting right down the road. A real bed even if its in a jail.

    I give them no more than 2 weeks if the Feds play this right.

  5. Holding a “checkers” event without the proper permits ? —
    Reprimands for improper bed making ? —
    Campfire pits not to code ? —
    Use of non biodegradable soaps ? —

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