Ammon Bundy To Request Release From Another Judge

Attorneys for Ammon Bundy, the leader of an armed occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Preserve, are challenging U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman’s order to keep him in custody until his trial. Attorneys Michael Arnold and Lissa Casey argue that Bundy should be released to his home state of Idaho with electronic GPS surveillance, according to a document filed Sunday. Beckerman ruled Friday, Jan. 29 that Bundy would be a danger to the community if released, citing the ongoing occupation of the wildlife refuge. Bundy’s attorneys assert that the prosecution failed to provide evidence that any combination of release conditions would ensure the safety of the community. Lisa Bundy and Ammon Bundy released videos Friday night and pleaded with the remaining occupants of the wildlife refuge to surrender. Bundy’s attorneys will ask U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman to revoke Beckerman’s order at a 10 a.m. hearing Tuesday. Bundy and 10 others are charged with felonies related to preventing federal workers from doing their jobs. Robert “LaVoy” Finicum was also implicated in court documents but was killed in an officer-involved shooting on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Fellow armed occupier, Shawna Cox, was released from the Multnomah County Detention Center over the weekend. Court documents show per the conditions of her release, she’s not allowed to be in Oregon, except to attend court proceedings, nor is she allowed to enter any federal facilities without prior authorization. She also isn’t allowed to contact her co-defendants or possess firearms.  JPR