PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A prosecutor said Ammon Bundy had more than $8,000 in his jacket and used a cell phone to call someone at the time of his arrest.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel told the court Tuesday the cash indicates Bundy planned to continue occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for a long time. Gabriel said the Idaho resident also had a withdrawal slip for $6,000 from a bank he visited in that state the day before his arrest.
Bundy was arrested Jan. 26 during a traffic stop as he and other occupation leaders were traveling to a community meeting north of the refuge.
He and six others are on trial in Portland, accused of conspiring to prevent federal workers from doing their jobs at the refuge. Two refuge employees and a Harney County sheriff’s sergeant testified Tuesday morning.
Although the occupation ended in February, life for refuge employees still hasn’t returned to normal.
An ecologist at the refuge testified on Tuesday that staff were having trouble finding important documents in their filing cabinets, and the missing documents continue to affect day-to-day operations.
Witnesses also said occupiers made a mess of the facilities, and they were unable to return to work for more than a month.
Filed under: Crime, News, Portland
