Get your first look at U.S. v. Oregon refuge occupiers case

NewsChannel 21 on Wednesday had its first look at the federal government’s case against the first eight arrested refuge occupiers — and you can, too, as we’ve uploaded the 31-page document online.

The seven individuals initially arrested in Oregon appeared in a Portland federal courtroom Wednesday. Another member of the group turned himself in in Arizona, and the FBI said three others contacted them and were arrested Wednesday at the checkpoints erected near the refuge.

The criminal complaint and arrest warrant was accompanied by a 30-page affidavit from Portland FBI agent Katherine Armstrong. The document says that the eight arrested refuge occupiers face a federal felony charge of “conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats.”

Day by day, the affidavit lays out how the eight in custody used force to control federal property and refused to leave.

It includes the prosecutors’ timeline of what led up to the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife, starting with Dwight and Steve Hammond’s arson sentencing in June 2012, continuing with the 25-day occupation, through Tuesday’s arrest and fatal shooting.

The FBI agent’s affidavit includes several media and social media photos and videos, as well as witness interviews.

At several points, the FBI agent refers to videos of interviews the NewsChannel 21 team conducted at the refuge.

The federal judge ordered Ammon Bundy and his six co-defendants to be held without bail. A detention hearing is scheduled for Friday and an arraignment on formal charges on Feb. 24..

Read the complaint and affidavit, in Adobe Acrobat PDF.