Bundy Brothers and All Defendants Not Guilty in #OregonStandoff Trial

Not guilty. That's the word from the the jurors deliberating the fate of seven people charged in connection with the 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

"It's been an awesome responsibility to preside over this trial," Judge Anna Brown told the jurors. "Your service is greatly appreciated."

There was drama after the verdict was announced.

The lawyer for lead defendant Ammon Bundy, Marcus Mumford, said that his client should be free to go and started arguing with the judge.

Mumford ended up being tackled by five United States Marshals who told him "don't resist."

Marshals deployed a Taser or similar instrument. Brown ordered the courtroom cleared.

Ammon Bundy was not free to go because he is one of several of the defendants who still face federal charges in Nevada in connection with a standoff there between Bundy's father, Cliven, and agents of the Bureau of Land Management.

That standoff, at Bunkerville, involved several of the people who would become involved in the occupation of at Malheur. The trial on those charges is scheduled to begin in February.

The verdict is a tremendous defeat for the U.S. Attorney's Office, as prosecutors spent nearly six weeks using Facebook posts and video to show the defendants firing weapons and talking about taking control of the refuge and still failed to convince the jurors that the defendants had done anything wrong.

At one point, prosecutors presented to the jury dozens of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition that had been seized from the defendants at the refuge.

After the verdict was announced, U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams issued a statement pointing out that 11 other defendants had pleaded guilty and also saying he still believes it was an important case to bring.

"We strongly believe that this case needed to be brought before a Court, publicly tried, and decided by a jury," Williams said.

"Despite the verdict reached, I want to personally thank all of the law enforcement personnel who worked tirelessly to bring about a peaceful resolution to the Malheur occupation. I also want to thank the residents of Burns, Hines, and Harney County and members of the Burns Paiute Tribe for their patience and resolve throughout this process."

Greg Bretzing, the special agent in charge of the FBI office in Portland, thanked jurors for their service while expressing disappointment.

"Although we are extremely disappointed in the verdict, we respect the court and the role of the jury in the American judicial system," Bretzing said. "We believe now — as we did then — that protecting and defending this nation through rigorous obedience to the U.S. Constitution is our most important responsibility."

Gov. Kate Brown also issued a statement expressing disappointment.

"While I respect the jury's decision, I am disappointed," she said. "The occupation of the Malheur Refuge by outsiders did not reflect the Oregon way of respectfully working to resolve differences.

"I appreciate the due diligence of our federal partners and stand with the communities of Harney County and residents of Burns."

Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, who was called to the stand by both the prosecution and defense about his interactions with the Bundys and others, issued a statement saying that while he wished the verdict was different, he stands by the system.

"While I am disappointed in the system, I believe our form of government and justice system to be the best in the world," he said. "These folks were tried in a court of law and found not guilty by a jury of their peers.

"This is our system and I stand by it."

The jury started deliberations all over on Thursday morning after a new person was placed on the jury. One juror was dismissed on Wednesday after being accused of having a bias.

In a note to Brown, the jurors, who were in their fifth day of deliberations, said that further deliberations would not help them reach a consensus on the final charge.

"We have reached consensus on all but one charge," the note said. "What is your next instruction? We have exhausted all discussion on the issue and cannot come to a unanimous decision."

The one charge was against Ryan Bundy who, in addition to conspiracy, was charged with theft of government property.

In what might be seen as a sign of weakness in the government's presentation, the jury did not convict defendant Kenneth Medenbach of having stolen a government vehicle despite the fact he was arrested driving it in Burns.

The dismissed juror, who had worked for the Bureau of Land Management 20 years ago, allegedly announced having a bias at the start of deliberations despite having said during jury selection that his previous employment would not be a problem.

Several defendants had raised the possibility of a mistrial, an idea that Brown rejected, though she had acknowledged the issues of bias that had been raised presented a series of potential problems.

"Starting over may seem frustrating," Brown told the jury in the morning. "Do not let it discourage you."

She told them not to consider why one juror had been dismissed; those discussions had happened while the jury was not in the courtroom.

"That's happened," she said. "That's passed."

In a bit of irony, the jury delivered its verdict on the birthday of Theodore Roosevelt who, as president, created the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

The seven defendants — Ammon Bundy and his brother, Ryan Bundy, Jeff Banta, Shawna Cox, David Fry, Kenneth Medenbach and Neil Wampler — were charged with conspiracy to impede federal workers from doing their jobs through threats, intimidation or force.

Prosecutors had argued that the case was clear-cut: The defendants seized control and occupied land that was not theirs. They posted armed guards at the entrance to make sure people did not come in. It was the very definition of intimidation, they argued.

The defense lawyers, in particular, Ammon Bundy's lawyer, Mumford, had presented his client as a patriot fighting government overreach.

"I hope you can see what we've been pushing for," he had told jurors. "What do you see? Government overreach. The government going too far. It happened to the Hammonds. You've heard that. But can you not see that it's happening to Mr. Bundy as well?"

The occupation originally happened to bring attention to the plight of Steven and Dwight Hammond — father and son ranchers who had been convicted of setting fires on federal land.

They had pleaded guilty and spent time in jail before being re-sentenced after a higher court had ruled their judge made a mistake.

Ammon Bundy, along with several others, organized a protest march in Burns on Jan. 2. As the protest wound down, the Bundys and others made their way to the refuge.

The Bundys and crew held press conferences nearly every day discussing their plans to occupy the refuge for an extended period. They attracted supporters from all over the country, several of whom would later be charged with them.

On the 25th day of the occupation, Jan. 26, the Bundys and several others left the refuge to head to John Day to meet with Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer, who supported their cause.

As they traveled down Highway 395 they ran into a roadblock that had been established by Oregon State Police and the FBI. At the roadblock, LaVoy Finicum, an associate of the Bundys who had been acting as spokesman for the group, tried to flee on foot. At one point, confronted by law enforcement, he reached for a gun and was shot and killed.

Eleven other co-defendants — Jason Blomgren, Brian Cavalier, Blaine Cooper, Eric Flores, Wesley Kjar, Corey Lequieu, Joseph O'Shaughnessy, Ryan Payne, Jon Ritzheimer, Geoffrey Stanek and Travis Cox — had pleaded guilty to charges before the trial.

Seven others — Dylan Anderson, Sandra Anderson, Sean Anderson, Duane Ehmer, Jason Patrick, Darryl Thorn and Jake Ryan — are scheduled to go on trial Feb. 14, 2017.

This story will be updated