OregonLive is reporting the arrest of Jason Patrick, at a roadblock outside the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. According to the article, Patrick, 43, a native of Bonaire, Georgia, was arrested at a checkpoint near Burns, OR, at about 8:40 p.m.
Two of his fellow extremists, Duane Leo Ehmer (45, of Irrigon, OR) and Dylan Wade Anderson (34, of Provo, UT) were also arrested by the FBI, same as Patrick, at 3:30 p.m. Each man faces a charge of one federal felony count of conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats.
Patrick is a known sympathizer with the Three Percenter Movement (the name references the movement’s questionable stat that just 3% of Americans were active in the Revolutionary War; the members want to be this century’s revolutionaries). He was also one of the many man who supported Cliven Bundy’s standoff against BLM in 2014, and considered LaVoy Finicum, the militia member shot dead in yesterday’s arrest, a good friend. He’s posted multiple videos on his Bambuser account, and called for law enforcement officials to release video footage of the arrests and shootings.
Here’s hoping that, with Patrick’s arrest, the rest will figure out the rules and leave the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. They may or may not escape arrest, but they’ll be going somewhere, at least.
UPDATE: User Terre linked to a USA Today article in comments:
BURNS, Ore. — The standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge seemed to be winding down early Thursday as eight people left the refuge and were met by FBI and Oregon State Police at checkpoints. Three protesters were arrested and five were freed.
Before the checkpoints were established, several other cars left the refuge without incident, authorities said.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. PT, the FBI made probable cause arrests of Duane Leo Ehmer, 45, of Irrigon, Ore., and Dylan Wade Anderson, 34, of Provo, Utah, according to a release by the law enforcement agency.
Oh, and about all that support the militia begged for from retired Navy Seals . . . ?
USA TODAY: A father and son pair from Hermiston, Ore., who wanted to reach the refuge were turned away at gunpoint when they reached the checkpoint.
UPDATE 2: Holy cow, the Rec List! Thanks, everybody. I appreciate it. :D
UPDATE 3: ABC News has a brief report on the situation.
The latest on an armed group that took over buildings at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon(all times local):
10 p.m.
The FBI and Oregon State Police say they've arrested three more people connected to the armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in a remote Oregon area.
A statement said they arrested 45-year-old Duane Leo Ehmer of Irrigon, Oregon, and 34-year-old Dylan Wade Anderson of Provo, Utah, around 3:30 p.m. A few hours later, 43-year-old Jason S. Patrick of Bonaire, Georgia, was arrested.
The FBI says the men turned themselves in to agents at a checkpoint on a road near the refuge.
As with the eight others arrested a day earlier, officials say these men will face one federal felony count of conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation, or threats.
FBI officials say they are working around the clock to empty the refuge of armed occupiers in the safest way possible.
There’s still no word about whether the children of the extremists — most notably, the 8- and 9-year-old sisters reported to have been brought to the refuge — have been safely removed.
UPDATE 4: It looks like it’s down to four. One man from Montana slunk off the refuge during the night, leaving Sean and Sandy Anderson, David Fry, and one other at Malheur. Apparently, Sean Anderson and David Fry are negotiating with the FBI to let them leave and go home — if the felony charge against Anderson is dropped.