Far-right activist Ammon Bundy, who ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid against Republican Idaho Gov. Brad Little, was reportedly arrested on an outstanding warrant.
Bundy's account on X, formerly Twitter, shared video that showed deputies placing Bundy in handcuffs and escorting him out of a banquet hall.
"Ammon was arrested this evening at his son's football banquet. Gather at Gem County Sheriff's office in Emmett if you can! We believe he is at the Gem County Jail. Please, if you can’t make it, start making calls complaining about this continued harassment of such a wonderful man. Thank you," the post reads, sharing a link to the Idaho Statesman.
KTVB first reported Friday night that Bundy was arrested at an Emmett High School football fundraiser on a warrant for contempt charges connected to his legal fight with St. Luke's Health System. The Statesman reported that Bundy remained in custody at the Gem County Jail on Saturday, citing a sergeant with the sheriff's office.
The sergeant told the newspaper that Bundy’s bond was set at $10,000 and had not been posted as of Saturday morning.
FAR-RIGHT ACTIVIST AMMON BUNDY ORDERED TO PAY MILLIONS IN DEFAMATION LAWSUIT FILED BY IDAHO HOSPITAL
If he doesn't post bail, he is to appear Monday before a judge in Gem County and then transferred to Ada County, the sergeant said. District Judge Lynn Norton of Idaho’s Fourth Judicial District issued an arrest warrant after Bundy allegedly violated orders against witness harassment and intimidation related to the since-resolved St. Luke’s Regional Health lawsuit.
In July, a jury decided that Bundy – who led the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon – an associate and three of their groups must pay more than $50 million in damages for accusing a hospital of child trafficking and harassing medical staff. The lawsuit brought by St. Luke’s Regional Health accused Bundy and Diego Rodriguez of making defamatory statements against the hospital and its employees after Rodriguez’s infant grandson was removed from his family for several days and taken to St. Luke’s amid concerns for his health.
The emergency room physician, Dr. Rachel Thomas, testified that the 10-month-old baby's stomach was distended, his eyes were hollow, and he was unable to sit up, reminding her of severely malnourished babies she had treated in Haiti, according to the Statesman.
Police said at the time that medical personnel determined the child was malnourished and had lost weight.
AMMON BUNDY ARRESTED AFTER REFUSING TO LEAVE IDAHO CAPITOL
Bundy responded by urging his followers to protest at the hospital and at the homes of child protection service workers, law enforcement officers and others involved in the child protection case. Rodriguez wrote on his website that the baby was "kidnapped," and suggested that the state and people involved in the case were engaged in "child trafficking" for profit.
Bundy – who didn't attend the trial nor hire a lawyer, saying it would be too costly – denied in a YouTube video that the baby was mistreated and said law enforcement and hospital staff put him at risk by removing him from his mother. The baby was healthy except for suffering from cyclic vomiting syndrome, Bundy said, unable to keep anything down except his mother's breast milk. The hospital said Bundy and Rodriguez orchestrated a smear campaign against it.
Bundy and his People’s Rights Network had earlier carried out protests at the Idaho State House over coronavirus-related measures. He was temporarily banned from the government building in 2020.
In 2016, Bundy led a 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, to protest the arson convictions of two ranchers who set fires on federal land where they had been grazing their cattle. Bundy was acquitted of criminal charges in the matter.
The hospital’s lawsuit was filed more than a year ago. Since then, Bundy allegedly ignored court orders related to the lawsuit, filed trespassing complaints against people hired to deliver legal paperwork and called on scores of his followers to camp at his home for protection when he learned he might be arrested on a warrant for a misdemeanor charge of contempt of court.
In 2014, Bundy’s father, rancher Cliven Bundy, was accused of rallying supporters to stop officers from impounding Bundy Ranch cattle over more than $1 million in unpaid fees and penalties for grazing livestock on government land. The Nevada criminal case ended in a mistrial.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
