Deputies arrested Ammon Bundy and Aaron von Schmidt on misdemeanor failure to appear charges after both men defied an Idaho Supreme Court order and refused to wear masks to go into the Ada County Courthouse for their jury trials Monday morning.
Deputies also arrested 69-year-old Casey J. Baker on a felony count of battery on a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor count of resisting and obstructing officers and cited 32-year-old Garth G. Gaylord on a charge of resisting and obstructing officers during a confrontation with court security outside the courthouse Monday morning.
The Idaho Supreme Court has ordered everyone must wear a mask, covering the mouth and nose, at all times when inside the Ada County Courthouse. Jury trials have just recently resumed in Ada County and the mask rule applies to everyone who participates in a trial or any other court proceeding.
Both men’s jury trials on misdemeanor trespassing charges filed in connection with an incident at the Idaho Statehouse in August were supposed to begin at 8:15 a.m. Monday.
Both Bundy and Schmidt were at the courthouse Monday morning but refused to participate in the mask mandate required to enter the building, so they did not show up for their trials.
A judge then issued failure to appear warrants for both men.
While this was going on, a large crowd of Bundy’s supporters had gathered and were protesting in front of the courthouse.
Once the judge issued the failure to appear warrants, an Ada County Sheriff’s deputy walked up to both men, told them what had happened, and asked if they would voluntarily come with them.
Bundy and Schmidt refused. A team of deputies then walked out into the crowd to arrest both men. At that point, Bundy laid down on the ground and refused to move.
Some protestors locked their arms together to make difficult for deputies to get to both men. It took several deputies to get both men into custody.
While that was happening, Baker and Gaylord got into physical confrontations with deputies. A third man, who was not in a confrontation with deputies but got caught up in the crowd, fell down and appeared to hit his head on the ground.
Paramedics arrived a short time later and took that man to a local hospital for treatment.
The protest at the courthouse ended shortly after Bundy and Schmidt were taken to the Ada County Jail. Both men are being held on $10,000 bonds and were still in custody as of early Monday afternoon.