The Latest: 9 others charged with armed Oregon standoff

The Latest: 9 others charged with armed Oregon standoff


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

3:15 p.m.

Federal prosecutors say nine additional people from six states have been charged in connection with the armed occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Oregon says seven of them were arrested Thursday and two remain at large.

That means a total of 25 people have been charged with the standoff. They all face the same felony count of conspiracy to interfere with federal workers.

The newly charged include: Blaine Cooper of Arizona; Wesley Kjar of Utah; Corey Lequieu of Nevada; Neil Wampler of California, Jason Blomgren of North Carolina, and Darryl Thorn and Eric Flores, both of Washington state.

The names of the two being sought haven't been released.

Prosecutors say those in custody are scheduled to appear in federal court in the different states Thursday and Friday.

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2:40 p.m.

A leader in the movement against federal land policy will stay in jail until his second court hearing next week.

Cliven Bundy will be behind bars in the same jail housing his sons, the leaders of an armed group that occupied an Oregon wildlife refuge. The elder Bundy was arrested Wednesday night when he arrived in Portland from Las Vegas to visit sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy.

Cliven Bundy was charged Thursday with leading a tense 2014 armed standoff with federal officials near his ranch in Nevada.

At his first court appearance, he asked for a court-appointed attorney. U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart said she wanted to see financial documents first.

She set a detention hearing for next Tuesday, and Bundy will stay in jail until then.

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2:25 p.m.

The FBI says the Oregon wildlife preserve that was occupied by an armed group will remain closed for several weeks as authorities inspect the area and gather evidence.

The last four occupiers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge surrendered Thursday. The occupation began Jan. 2.

At a news conference, Greg Bretzing, FBI special agent in charge in Oregon, said authorities would examine buildings at the refuge to ensure nobody else was hiding out. After that, he says specialized teams would look for "explosive-related hazards." He said that could take several days.

Bretzing says the FBI's evidence team would collect material about any crimes that may have been committed during the occupation.

Also, a special team would work with a local tribe to document any damage to artifacts and ancient burial grounds at the property.

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1:20 p.m.

Authorities say a man who participated in the occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge has been arrested in Utah.

Washington County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Crouse says the FBI took Blaine Cooper into custody without incident Thursday in Springdale.

Crouse says the FBI notified the sheriff's office that it had an arrest warrant for Cooper, who lives in Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. Crouse says the sheriff's office sent two officers to assist.

The town's mayor, Stan Smith, said Cooper was arrested at a local motel.

It's unclear what charges he faces or when authorities believe he was at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Cooper was not among the last four holdouts who surrendered Thursday.

Those four each face a felony charge of conspiring to keep federal workers from doing their duties through force or intimidation.

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12:05 p.m.

The FBI has confirmed it arrested the last armed occupiers of an Oregon wildlife refuge.

The bureau said in a statement Thursday that "no one was injured, and no shots were fired" when all four were taken into custody. The surrender of the holdouts played out live over a phone call streamed online.

Authorities say Sean Anderson, 47; his wife Sandra Anderson, 48, both of Riggins, Idaho; and Jeff Banta, 46, of Yerington, Nevada, were arrested around 9:40 a.m. Thursday.

The FBI says 27-year-old David Fry, of Blanchester, Ohio, who delayed leaving the refuge, was apprehended about 11 a.m.

They all face a federal felony charge of conspiracy to keep federal workers from doing their duties through force or intimidation. The four will appear before a judge in Portland on Friday.

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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.

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.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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