After stalemate between rancher, armed militia and feds, Nevada prosecutor not rushing to bring case
Corrected: Faced with potential violence in a standoff earlier this year between authorities and a Nevada rancher and armed militia supporters over cattle grazing on federal land, law enforcement officers backed off on a plan to round up trespassing cattle.
But in the aftermath of the April incident questions remain about how it will be handled. Although the Bureau of Land Management has has asked federal prosecutors to pursue a criminal case related to the decades-long dispute between rancher Cliven Bundy the feds, the U.S. Attorney’s office has not yet moved to pursue prosecution, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports.
“The BLM remains committed to pursuing this issue through the legal system in coordination with the Department of Justice,” a spokeswoman told the newspaper. “Mr. Bundy has violated federal laws for more than 20 years and is in violation of multiple federal court orders.”
The article doesn’t include any comment from Bundy.
Related coverage:
Associated Press: “Cliven Bundy: God Told Me To Fight ‘Civil War’ Against Feds”
CNN: “Showdown on the range: Nevada rancher, feds face off over cattle grazing rights”
Los Angeles Times (sub. req.): “BLM, local law enforcement tensions near breaking point in the West”
Washington Post: “Everything you need to know about the long fight between Cliven Bundy and the federal government”
Corrected on Sept. 3 to remove reference to criminal referrals which were actually related to the 2013 Burning Man festival, according to U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden.
Correction
Corrected on Sept. 3 to remove reference to criminal referrals which were actually related to the 2013 Burning Man festival, according to U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden.
