BOISE, Idaho — Ammon Bundy was arrested Monday after a failure to appear in court.
Bundy, a well-known anti-government activist, was arrested after he failed to appear for his jury trial, court records show. He was booked into the Ada County Jail on the misdemeanor charge at 11 a.m. and is being held on a $10,000 bail.
Court records show that Bundy did not appear for his jury trial on March 15 and a failure to appear misdemeanor was added to his charges. Court records also show a bench warrant/detention order has been ordered.
Ada County Sheriff's deputies also arrested Aaron von Schmidt on a misdemeanor charge of failure to appear in court. Both men refused to wear a mask to go into the Ada County Courthouse for their jury trials, defying an Idaho Supreme Court order. A judge then issued a warrant for both men for failure to appear.
The Associated Press reports that Bundy and around two dozen others protested outside the building over the state's mask mandate. Some of the protesters held signs with slogans, “Ammon stands for truth” while others yelled. Bundy is representing himself in the case and has previously said he does not believe he did anything illegal, according to the AP.
Bundy was arrested twice for trespassing at the Statehouse by the Idaho State Police in August during a Special Legislative Session. Bundy was served a No Trespass Notice by ISP before his second arrest, according to police. The notice is in place for one year and expires on August 26, 2021.
Update: This is a redacted copy of the No Trespass Notice served to Mr. Bundy just prior to his arrest this morning. The notice remains in effect for one year. pic.twitter.com/BrfiXy4Rou
— Idaho State Police (@ISPHeadquarters) August 26, 2020
In October, Bundy pleaded not guilty to the trespassing charges in a drive-up arraignment. Bundy appeared in virtual court in November, where he told the judge that he does not believe the state has "legal standing" to charge him with trespassing, according to the Idaho Statesman. The Statesman reports the prosecution offered Bundy a plea deal, but he had denied that at the time.
Bundy made headlines in 2016 when he and a group of armed activist occupied a nature preserve in Oregon for more than a month to protest the federal control of public lands. Bundy was later arrested but convicted of all charges by a jury.
Bundy and his father, Cliven, also led an armed standoff against federal agents in Nevada in 2014 after the Bureau of Land Management attempted to seize their cattle for repeated violations of grazing restrictions. Bundy spent two years in custody amid a trial, which was eventually declared a mistrial.
This article was written by KIVI in Boise, Idaho.
