BURNS, Ore. — State Police arrested a man Friday they said was driving a government vehicle stolen from a wildlife refuge being occupied by an armed group protesting federal land policies.
Kenneth Medenbach, 62, of Crescent was arrested at a grocery store in Burns for investigation of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, authorities said. It was unclear if he was one of the men occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge or if he has a lawyer.
Authorities also say they recovered a second stolen vehicle from the refuge but provided no other details. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously reported the vehicles had been stolen.
So far authorities have not tried to remove the group from the refuge as the standoff hits the two-week mark. As it drags on, people in the high desert area are growing increasingly weary and wary of the group.
Cement barriers have been erected to block streets around the county courthouse in the small eastern Oregon town of Burns, where police from around the state have set up a command center.
About 30 miles to the south at the refuge, other protesters carrying what appear to be military-style rifles scan the snow-covered rangeland from atop an old fire lookout that gives them a sweeping view of roads leading into the area.
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