Protester at Oregon refuge arrested for driving government truck

Reuters

9 years ago

A U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service truck is shown at the entrance to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, occupied by anti-government protesters, near Burns, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. The protesters, many of them armed, are led by Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

Ammon Bundy speaks with locals after meeting with Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters near Burns, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. The pair met about 10 miles from the refuge. Bundy, who is the son of Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy, is occupying the refuge with anti-government protesters. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

Steve Atkins, left, of Burns, Ore. voices his discontent over the occupation with Ammon Bundy, right, at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters near Burns, Ore. on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Bundy, who is the son of Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy, is occupying the refuge with anti-government protesters, many of which are armed. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

People look up at a drone at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, occupied by anti-government protesters, near Burns, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. The protesters, many of them armed, are led by Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

Anti-government protester Jason Patrick smokes a cigarette at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, which the group is occupying, near Burns, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. The protesters, many of them armed, are led by Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

Ammon Bundy, center right, walks up to Duane Ehmer, of Irrigon, Ore., after a news conference by the entrance of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters near Burns, Ore. on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Bundy, who is the son of Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy, is occupying the refuge with anti-government protesters, many of which are armed. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

Ammon Bundy speaks with reporters after meeting with Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters near Burns, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. The pair met about 10 miles from the refuge. Bundy, who is the son of Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy, is occupying the refuge with anti-government protesters. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

Ryan Bundy leaves a meeting with the Pacific Patriots Network, who are attempting to resolve the occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, January 9, 2016. (REUTERS/Jim Urquhart)

Ammon Bundy, center, reacts after receiving vegan jerky from PETA spokeswoman Lindsay Rajt after a news conference by the entrance of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters near Burns, Ore. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto)

An anti-government protester carries a handgun by the entrance of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, which the group is occupying, near Burns, Ore. on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. The protesters, many of them armed, are led by Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

Arizona rancher and anti-government protester LaVoy Finicum, with his granddaughter Payton Beck, 3, stands before the news media before speaking in a news conference at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, which the group is occupying, near Burns, Ore. on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. The protesters are led by Ammon Bundy. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

Members of news media walk around the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, occupied by anti-government protesters, near Burns, Ore. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. The protesters, many of them armed, are led by Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @csstevensphoto

A member of the group of armed men who have seized a U.S. wildlife refuge in Oregon in an anti-government protest has been arrested after driving a government vehicle to a local supermarket, officials said.

The arrest was the first made since the group took over buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2 in the latest conflict over the U.S. government’s control of land in the West.

Law enforcement officials had so far kept their distance from the site, located about 30 miles south of the small town of Burns in Oregon‘s rural southeast, in an effort to avoid a violent confrontation.

But police arrested Kenneth Medenbach, a 62-year-old resident of Crescent, Oregon, after he drove a vehicle owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to a local supermarket on Friday, the Harney County Sheriff’s office said in a statement.

He was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Medenbach could not be reached for immediate comment and it was unclear if he had retained an attorney.

The group, led by the sons of a Nevada rancher who with a large group of heavily armed men successfully stared down federal agents in a 2014 dispute over grazing fees, had earlier made a public call for help with supplies to cope with the winter weather, with temperatures at the reserve expected to dip below freezing in the coming days.

That plea led to shipments of sex toys, glitter and nail polish, which prompted online video complaints by the occupiers.

The occupiers declared their move a show of support for two local ranchers, Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven, who were returned to prison earlier this month for setting fires that spread to federal land.

A lawyer for Hammond family has said that the occupiers do not speak for the family.

Residents have expressed a mixture of sympathy for the Hammond family, suspicion of the federal government’s motives and frustration with the occupation.

The chair of a local Native American tribe called on federal officials to remove the occupiers.

“Armed protesters don’t belong here,” said Charlotte Rodrique, chair of the Burns Paiute Tribe in a Friday statement. “They should be held accountable.”