Oregon standoff defendants found not guilty on all charges

Defendants in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge case

Ammon Bundy and six others who invaded Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, ran off federal employees, set up armed road blocks, destroyed property, frightened local citizens, and generally terrorized the area for 41 days, have been found not guilty on all charges.

Ammon Bundy and six-co-defendants are charged with conspiring to impede federal employees at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge through intimidation, threat or force stemming from the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Four of the seven defendants are charged with possessing guns in a federal facility. Two of the defendants each face an additional charge of theft of government property.

All of which seems self-evident. And yet…

All defendants found not guilty. 

On Wednesday, one of the jurors was replaced after another juror accused him of saying that he was biased.

In a rare move, U.S. District Court Judge Anna Brown dismissed a juror Wednesday in the trial of seven people accused of occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge earlier this year.

So … prepare for much celebrating in militia land. What this means for the next bunch of lunatics who want to hold a wildlife refuge hostage or shoot up a national park is unclear.