>>>>Why? because he failed to show up for court. <<<
I seem to recall that the reason he did not show up for court was because he was given the wrong date. Is that correct?
Yes he was given the wrong date:
Weaver failed to appear for a court date on February 20, 1991, having been informed that the set date was March 20 in the summons the Weavers received. Judge Ryan declined to withdraw the warrant when he learned that the Probation Office had sent Weaver a letter with an incorrect trial date, and declared Weaver a federal fugitive and issued an arrest warrant. After the indictment was returned, US Attorney Ellsworth rebuffed Marshals Service Director Hudson's request to dismiss the indictment and return it under seal.[citation needed]
In interviews videotaped after the standoff, the Weaver family stated that the ATF was trying to humiliate Randy in order to make an example of him. Upon learning he was officially classified a fugitive, Randy extrapolated that the government's goal was to assassinate him. The Weaver family confined themselves to their home, making few appearances in town, always keeping rifles within reach. Randy Weaver rarely went outdoors.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Ridge