The Latest: Final 4 Oregon occupiers plead not guilty

The Latest: Final 4 Oregon occupiers plead not guilty


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

3 p.m.

The four armed occupiers who were the last to leave a national wildlife refuge in Oregon have pleaded not guilty to a federal felony charge.

David Fry of Ohio, Jeff Banta of Nevada, and married couple Sean and Sandy Anderson of Idaho appeared Friday in federal court in Portland. They surrendered Thursday, ending the standoff over federal land policy that began Jan. 2 at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

They entered their pleas to a charge of conspiracy to impede employees at the refuge from performing their duties. A judge set an April 19 trial date.

A Nevada lawmaker who helped convince the holdouts to turn themselves in was in the courtroom. Assemblywoman Michele Fiore waved to the four.

___

12:55 p.m.

The FBI says it hasn't found any rigged explosives or booby traps at the national wildlife refuge in Oregon that had been seized by an armed group.

Authorities allowed a group of reporters to get closer to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, a day after the last four occupiers surrendered. The tour stopped short of the refuge itself.

The occupiers had blockaded the road near the property with a government-owned heavy front-end loader and two pickup trucks. A group of tents and pickup trucks was clustered far beyond the barrier.

Larry Karl, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Portland division, says the holdouts spent most of their time near the tents.

He says investigators hoped to finish the safety sweep of the buildings and begin processing evidence Friday.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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