Oregon Sheriff Says Armed Militia Members Will Face Criminal Charges

A member of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, stands guard Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, near Burns, Ore. Ammon Bundy, the leader of a small, armed group that is occupying a remote national wildlife preserve in Oregon said Tuesday that they will go home when a plan is in place to turn over management of federal lands to locals. AP photo/Rick Bowmer

The sheriff of the Oregon county where an armed group has taken over a federal building says the members will face charges once the occupation comes to an end.

Harney County Sheriff David Ward told OPB that the FBI is handling a criminal case against the armed men, who have occupied the building at the Malheir National Wildlife Refuge in Burns since Saturday.

Ward said FBI officials told him the men will definitely face charges, although he offered no specifics. The men are part of a self-described militia of anti-federalists. They demand the federal lands be turned over to locals.

“The bureau has assured me that those at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge will at some point face charges,” Ward said.

LaVoy Finicum, a rancher from Arizona, who is part of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge speaks with reporters during a news conference at the the refuge Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, near Burns, Ore. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer