– ‘Spark a movement’ –
But Bundy and his brother Ryan are also calling on the federal government to relinquish control of the Malheur reserve.
Sheriff Ward said the protesters’ ultimate goal was “to overthrow the county and federal government in hopes to spark a movement across the United States.”
The Hammonds have set themselves apart from the armed movement, and from Bundy in particular.
“Dwight and Steven Hammond respect the rule of law,” said a statement sent to AFP by their attorneys Alan Schroeder, Kendra Matthews and Lawrence Matasar.
“They have litigated this matter within the federal courts for over five years and, in every instance, have followed the order of the court without incident or violation. That includes serving the entire sentences imposed in this case.”
Father and son each already have served several months for arson, but a judge ordered them back to prison to serve the remainder of their five-year sentence after they lost an appeals court review.
The Hammonds were convicted after lighting what they said was a controlled fire on their ranch in Harney County that spread, consuming 139 acres (56 hectares) of federal land.
But witnesses at their trial said that Steven Hammond had illegally slaughtered deer on federal property during a hunting expedition and then handed out matches in order to “light up the whole country on fire,” according to a Justice Department statement.
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