Bundy ‘refused’ to go through jail booking process before Tuesday court hearing

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Law enforcement officials said Ammon Bundy was uncooperative with Ada County Jail deputies after his Monday arrest.

Text messages distributed by the People’s Rights group, which supports Bundy, alleged he was being treated “very badly for not complying” with deputies in the Jail.

One message alleged Bundy was being “tortured” in jail, though the Ada County Sheriff’s Office denied that. Patrick Orr, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told the Statesman that Bundy “totally refused to participate in the standard booking process.”

“He spent the time between his arrest and arraignment in a holding cell … because he chose to,” Orr said.

Holding cells are meant to keep one or more people for short amounts of time before they are being processed or booked into a jail, according to jail standards outlined by the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association.

Orr said holding cells do not have beds or blankets and are not designed for long-term or overnight stays — a cell has only a concrete bench and a toilet. If Bundy had participated in booking, he would have been moved to an area with a bed and blanket. Because he refused, he spent much of his jail time in the holding cell.

“It was totally his decision not to cooperate,” Orr said.

Another message distributed by People’s Rights claimed the three arrested “will not be strip-searched.” Bundy and Schmidt were not “strip-searched” but deputies did remove excess layers of clothes, which is standard protocol, Orr said.

Orr said every inmate is subject to a pat search before going through a body scanner that is similar to a scanner found at airports. It is also standard procedure for jail inmates to remove excess layers of clothing until they get to a base layer. If an inmate does not comply, as was the case with Bundy and Schmidt, deputies must do that.

A third People’s Rights message claimed cell doors were “pounded on every 15 minutes.” For jail inmates who are not cooperative, it is a standard jail procedure to do visual checks every 15 minutes to ensure an inmate is all right. If a deputy cannot see if an inmate is OK, the deputy may knock on the window to watch for a response.

“We do know deputies did not knock on his window every 15 minutes,” Orr said in an email. “It is unclear if our deputies even knocked once.”

During an arraignment hearing Tuesday via video call, Bundy told a district judge that circumstances in the jail were “pretty miserable” and asked for his $10,000 bond to be reduced. District Judge Adam Kimball declined the request.

After the hearing, Bundy started to comply with the booking process, including taking a booking photo and providing his fingerprints, according to Orr.

Bundy and another man, Aaron Schmidt, had gone to the Ada County Courthouse on Monday for trials connected to their Aug. 25 trespassing arrests at the Idaho Statehouse. Both men refused to wear masks, which are required to enter the courthouse by order of the Idaho Supreme Court.

When the trial began and neither man was present in court, the judge issued failure-to-appear warrants for Bundy and Schmidt’s arrests. After a scuffle outside of the courthouse with their supporters, the two were arrested by deputies.

A third man, Casey Baker, was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer. He was released after a virtual Tuesday court hearing.

Bundy and Schmidt posted bond and were released from jail after their virtual hearings Tuesday afternoon. Kimball authorized Baker’s release after his virtual hearing Tuesday, citing his lack of criminal history.

Bundy and Schmidt are set to return to court on May 10 for their jury trials. Baker’s next scheduled court date is a preliminary hearing on March 29.