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 David Fry, 27, stayed behind for more than an hour and told
supporters by phone he had not agreed with the other three to leave
the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon. The call was
broadcast live on an audio feed posted on the Internet.
"I'm actually pointing a gun at my head. I'm tired of living," Fry
said during the phone call. He later added: "Until you address my
grievances, you're probably going to have to watch me be killed, or
kill myself."
Fry sounded alternately defiant and tormented during the rambling
final call, veering from rants about the federal government to his
thoughts on UFOs. He surrendered after taking a final cigarette and
cookie and asking his mediators to shout "Hallelujah."
Authorities could be heard over the phone line telling him to put
his hands up before the call disconnected. Harney County Sheriff
Dave Ward called him a "very troubled young man" at a news
conference several hours later.
Federal authorities said the refuge would remain closed for several
weeks as agents secured what was now considered a crime scene and
scoured it for fugitives or explosives.
The protesters told authorities they left behind booby traps but did
not say whether the trip wires and other devices would trigger
explosions, a law enforcement official told Reuters.
 Materials to create explosives could be found on the property, said
the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The final four occupiers will face charges of conspiracy to impede
federal officers, along with 12 others previously arrested,
officials said.
"The occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge has been a long and
traumatic episode for the citizens of Harney County and the members
of the Burns Paiute tribe," U.S. Attorney Billy Williams said in the
statement. "It is a time for healing, reconciliation amongst
neighbors and friends, and allowing for life to get back to normal."
CLIVEN BUNDY ARRESTED
The takeover, which began on Jan. 2, was sparked by the return to
prison of two Oregon ranchers convicted of setting fires that spread
to federal property in the vicinity of the refuge.
The standoff, which was originally led by brothers Ammon and Ryan
Bundy, came to a head after the arrest on Wednesday in Portland of
their father, Cliven Bundy. On Thursday, he was charged with
conspiracy, assault on a federal officer and obstruction of justice
in connection with a separate 2014 standoff on federal land near his
Nevada ranch.
Cliven Bundy was subdued during a brief court appearance in
Portland, appearing pale and tired in a jail uniform and eyeglasses.
He spoke only to acknowledge his rights to the judge.
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The Malheur occupation had also been a protest against federal
control over millions of acres (hectares) of public land in the
West.
Ammon and Ryan Bundy were arrested in January along with nine other
protesters on a snow-covered roadside where a spokesman for the
group, Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, was shot dead. A 12th member of the
group surrendered to police in Arizona.
After Cliven Bundy's arrest, three of four remaining occupiers
surrendered to the FBI at the urging of Nevada state Assemblywoman
Michele Fiore and the Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of Christian
evangelist Billy Graham.
Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada, and married couple Sean Anderson,
48, and Sandy Anderson, 47, of Riggins, Idaho, surrendered
peacefully, according to the FBI.
Fiore told Reuters in an interview that she and Graham hugged each
of the holdouts as they emerged and that they seemed relieved.
“No one got scratched, no one got thrown on the ground and nothing
happened,” Fiore said.
Fry arrived at the occupation within the first week, and told Oregon
Public Broadcasting that he was inspired by Finicum. He became one
the most outspoken protesters, posting frequent, often angry rants
on social media.
The skinny, bespectacled Ohio native from a military family has also
expressed outrage when dealing with what appear to be minor criminal
offenses in his past. In a YouTube video from September, Fry can be
heard saying he refused to pay fines “for smoking marijuana on a
river and not wearing a life jacket,” and then sets fire to a debt
collection notice.
Fry’s father told Oregon Public Broadcasting his son had also
screamed at a police officer who had pulled him over for broken
taillights. The elder Fry said his son was bullied in high school
because of his Japanese heritage.
(Additional reporting by Shelby Sebens in Portland, Oregon; Barbara
Goldberg and Joseph Ax in New York, Julia Edwards in Washington,
Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing
by Alex Dobuzinskis and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Sara Catania,
Jeffrey Benkoe, Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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