Posted on 09/13/2016 4:36:45 AM PDT by Nextrush
Jeff Banta, who was one of the last four holdouts at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation and is now one of seven defendants on trial in the federal conspiracy case, sat quietly beside his lawyer, taking notes during three days of jury selection last week.
With each of four panels of jurors questioned, the judge recited the charges against each defendant.
But US District Judge Anna Brown each time left out Banta as one of the five defendants charged with Count 2, possession of a firearms in a federal facility.
No one in the courtroom corrected the judge in front of prospective jurors.
Once jury selection was completed Friday, Banta's attorney spoke out to rectify the record.....
Banta, 47, of Yerrington, Nevada, does residential construction and carpentry work. He was out of work in Elko, Nevada, when he saw a video posted on Facebook of Ammon Bundy talking about the protest of the return to prison of Harney County ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and Steve Hammond, both convicted of arson for setting fire to federal land.
Banta said he came to refuge on Jan. 25. He said he didn't know any of his co-defendants at the time.
"I wanted to help bring attention to the Hammond case," he said.
Banta said others panicked and left the refuge, heeding the requests of federal law enforcement.
He and three others stayed.
"If we left, LaVoy would have died for nothing at that point," Banta said.....
"Mr. Banta believes that being heard is more important than just going quietly into the night," Salisbury (his lawyer) said after court. "Mr. Banta just wants to support his fellow occupiers and help good people like the Hammond family."........
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...
Peaceful protests on their behalf are underway in Portland into John Lamb's "Walls of Jericho" march around the jail where some of the defendants are being held.
Ammon Bundy, the murdered LaVoy Finicum and others protested in Oregon on behalf of the Hammonds, jailed for a second time by the federal government as terrorists for lighting a backfire to protect their land.
Thanks for keeping us posted.
No prosecutions for Hillary or Lois Lerner.
Banta’s attorney brought up the firearms charge after the judge neglected it? Can we assume this attorney is court-appointed and doing everything he can to assure a conviction? Why would he say anything to ruin the remote chance of getting his client less prison time on a technicality?
I question the lawyer’s actions and the judge clearly slipped up.
You would think that would create a ‘technicality’ based on the merits of her actions.
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