Rory and the old man both should be prosecuted.
As is happening today. The government handed down edicts, laws and rules that made citizens criminals by non-compliance. This rancher was way ahead of his time in fighting the injustice 30 years ago. Our fore fathers started their "criminal enterprise" against the King in the same fashion.
Rosa Parks ignored law when she refused to go to the back of the bus (if you can call those laws back then). I would offer that our founding documents expect the citizens to rise up against tyranny when it comes. And I would argue that the first chips to be placed are ignoring tyrannical rule, especially when it is fed to us under the guise of the common good.