The Bundy Affair – Vetting the Millers – Updated June 10, 2014

The Bundy Affair – Vetting the Millers

Gary Hunt
Outpost of Freedom
June 9, 2014 (Revised June 10, 2014)

Note: In the first article, I explained that all of the parties had not yet been contacted. The article went to press because the efforts of Mainstream Media to tie the Millers to the Bundy Ranch had to be addressed, as early as possible. Though I seldom put out a story until all of the necessary research is completed, this was an exception. What follows is the same story as the first, though with corrections and clarifications, based upon input by the other parties that chose to provide what insight they had into the event.

The shootings that occurred in Las Vegas, on Sunday, June 8, 2014, were initiated by Jerad (age 31) and his wife, Amanda (age 22) Miller. There has been speculation of ties between the Millers and the Operation Mutual Aid support of the Bundy family and ranch. This is to set the record straight.

The Millers arrived at Bunkerville between April 12 and 14, though were never admitted to the ranch property or the operational militia base until the following events occurred. After a few days, questions were raised by other participants about the Millers. These questions were brought to the attention of Jerry DeLemus, Ryan Payne, and head of security on the Bundy Ranch, Booda. They were then brought to the area of the ranch and were interrogated by Jerry DeLemus, Ryan Payne, and Booda

Jerad Miller admitted that he was a convicted felon. The had a model 1911, 0.45-caliber handgun and a shotgun. The interrogation was conducted based upon reports from other participants regarding the aggressive nature of the couple and the apparent volatility displayed by Jerad.

This first interrogation resulted in a subsequent meeting between DeLemus, Payne and Stobel, as well as Stewart Rhodes and Mike Vanderboegh. The initial assessment was that they were not of the caliber of people needed to provide for the defense of the Bundy family and property. They were first directed to go to Mesquite and report on what was occurring there. Because of their disheveled appearance, Rhodes gave them “a couple hundred dollars” so that they could get a motel room, shower, and some new clothes, because they claimed that, they had given up jobs, their home, and were wearing the only clothes they possessed.

Prior to their leaving for Mesquite, it was determined that there might be a problem if they appeared to be working with the operation, and armed, so Miller’s gun was put in a tent.

As the discussion continued, the realization that there could be more serious consequences if the Millers were associated with the operation, it was decided that they should be asked to leave the ‘jurisdiction’ of the operation. Miller’s gun was given to Amanda, as she was not a felon, and they were told to leave the area. The operation was properly focused on defense of property and people, and did not have any facility, obligation, or right, to do other than what they did.

The Millers were sent on their way. Never were the Bundys apprised of this situation. It was dealt with by the shared command of the militia contingent that had evolved through the progression of the operation.

What subsequently developed is quite unfortunate. However, the rapidly unfolding of events at the ranch did not diminish the necessity of proper vetting of participants.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mike Vanderboegh’s take, from a previous article at:

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/05/there-is-no-teacher-but-enemy-bundy.html

“One afternoon a couple showed up at the camp: a young tattooed white male wearing a holstered pistol and his girlfriend toting a shotgun. In the entrance interviews, which Jerry insisted upon mostly conducting himself, it developed that the guy was an admitted felon, but he didn’t believe that it was constitutional to deny him his firearm rights. This came with a long, sad story about how they had quit their jobs to volunteer for the Bundys and do their part. Both Jerry and Stewart were inclined to accept their help until I called them over and explained the ramifications of accepting a self-admitted, armed felon into camp. They were impressed by the man’s “honesty and sincerity,” in admitting up-front that he was a felon. I said, among other things, that of course he admitted it. If he hadn’t, then they would have plausible deniability when later confronted about it. By stating it up front, it was actually worse for them because they could not later deny having known that fact.”

However, according to other reports, Mike was not the only one to bring others into reality and make the right decision.

 

Related articles:

The End of the Bundy Affair (maybe)

The Bundy Affair – The Battle Continues

The Bundy Affair – Who Was Not in the Front?

The Bundy Affair – Is Anybody in Charge Here?

The Bundy Affair – Oathkeepers vs. Militia

The Bundy Affair – Oath Keepers vs. Militia – Part II

Stealing Valor

The Bundy Affair – Answering the Most Common Question

The Bundy Affair – The Revenge of the BLM

30 Comments

  1. Doug D says:

    Appears he was armed with more than just a handgun. Check out this pic:

    http://t.co/eewJkcfD4u

    There are many more pics surfacing of him at the Bundy Ranch. I will not comment on reports that Oathkeepers at Cliven Bundy’s ranch learned that Jerad Miller was a convicted felon from out of state, saw him openly carrying a firearm, heard him make comments about killing police officers, but failed to report it to anyone.

    Jerad Miller’s Facebook page:
    https://www.facebook.com/jerad.miller.1

    Amanda Miller’s Facebook Page
    https://www.facebook.com/amanda.woodruff.9?ref=br_rs

    Jerad Miller speaking at Cliven Bundy’s ranch (Video):
    http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-news/jerad-miller-shows-support-for-cliven-bundy-277489731717

    Twitter Updates on Jerad Miller and his activities prior to murdering two police officers:
    https://twitter.com/search?q=jerad%20miller&src=typd

    More Info on Jerad Miller:
    http://heavy.com/news/2014/06/jerad-amanda-miller-las-vegas-police-shooting/

    • Gary Hunt says:

      Doug,
      “Bundys Ranch” has become a rather ambiguous term. There is the Ranch, itself. I believe it is about 160 or 180 acres. Then, there is the militia area which was under control of the militia contingent. Finally, there are the public lands, road rights-of-way and the towns of Mesquite and Bunkerville.
      Most of the pictures taken there were in that third area. It is the ranch proper and the militia area that were under the protection of the militia. The Millers were only in the militia area for the interrogation/interview. The militia had no authority to do anything to anyone on the public lands.

      • DougD says:

        Regarding the photo of Jerad Miller with a rifle on his back as he takes food from a table directly in front of Ammon Bundy, where was that taken? I wonder if that photo was taken before or after he admitted to being a convicted felon?

        • Gary Hunt says:

          Perhaps some research on your part would answer that question. The Bundys provided food and water at a number of locations. There was control on those who entered certain areas. There were other areas outside of that control.

        • Paul N says:

          Doug, as one of the people who was inside the Ranch proper I can assure you that the Millers were never on the ranch compound. When approaching the ranch from the Virgin River, after passing the ‘Rally point’ which is where the flag poles were located, where most of the protestors congregated and food was served to the public, you turned onto the road leading to the Bundy’s. It was at this corner and just a few hundred yards further that the militia camp was set up on private property not belonging to the Bundys with the owners permission. This is the area you are wondering about. The actual Bundy Ranch was approximately another mile and a half down the road and at the entrance there were guards stationed. No one who was not vetted was able to enter the private ranch property. The Millers, for the duration I was present, never went any further than the militia camp. I recall hearing about the incident and can state affirmatively that as soon as the command became aware of their presence and the statements being made by them, that they were asked to leave and complied. They were not there for the ‘stand-off’ fortunately.

          • DougD says:

            Why was the Sheriff’s office not called about the presence of an armed felon exhibiting disturbing behavior?

          • Gary Hunt says:

            It appears that you have taken the “turn in your neighbor” mindset. Congratulations, and welcome to the American Police State. However, I am getting additional input and the rewrite will show that the guns went to Amanda (not a felon), instead of to Jerad. I’m sure, however, that you, in your armchair, will also find fault with that.

          • San Francisco says:

            Paul and Gary,

            Thanks for keeping your movement honorable, and not cruel.

            It’s refreshing to read that you’re the good guys who maintain order.

            (I was able to see that from looking at media photos of the event anyway.)

          • Paul N says:

            I’m glad you asked why the sheriff was not called, Doug. It was my understanding that if one was to call 911 in the weeks of the illegal BLM round-up and the following civil action to restore the Bundy Ranch property that the calls were forwarded to the BLM district office. The Sheriff had apparently deferred any duties in the Mesquite/Bunkerville area to the ‘Rangers’ conducting the round-up. I only am repeating what I had been told because I am of the opinion that ‘911 is a joke’ and tend to believe that the words ‘shall not be infringed’ are self explanatory and do not require any further elucidation from our courts or ‘peace officers’. I also found the forwarding of emergency calls to be somewhat amusing, considering that the round-up was being conducted by contractors, rather than ‘Rangers’ sworn in as law enforcement. Again, this is only what I was told at the time and not something that I confirmed personally.

    • og says:

      That is not Jarad Miller in the photo in question! Get real! Do not fall for such crap!

      • Gary Hunt says:

        Are we to take your word for this? Or, can you support that contention?

        • og says:

          It looks and sounds like him on further evaluation of other photos and the interview to accompany. Somewhere right after the incident I had seen another photo of the same man with his back turned and with comments naming him as someone else. I never did the research since it really didn’t much look like him from that angle. The rifle and new clothes/gear threw me off as well. Even his whole demeanor and style appeared different. Anyways, I’m wrong.

  2. Concerned says:

    So… They accepted a firearm from an individual claiming to be a felon, stored it for him, and then transferred the weapon back to him after being concerned that he was too volatile to participate with the main effort? Did they notify police?

    • Gary Hunt says:

      “Stored”? Where did that come from? I assume that you read the article. It was put in a tent while they were within the militia contingent area. It was returned to Amanda, which will be in the updated article, later this evening.
      Read my reply to Doug, ,and then welcome yourself to the police state.

  3. tensmiths says:

    mike had mentioned this event in one of his aars, without naming names. thanks for the details.

  4. DougD says:

    An armed felon from out of state exhibiting an “aggressive nature” and “apparent volatility” is not my neighbor and he’s not yours either. No one can see the future but all of this could have been prevented if the militia leaders at the Bundy Ranch had simply turned Miller over to the local Sheriff. They called on the Sheriff to disarm the BLM but they refused to call the Sheriff about an armed felon in their camp who was so unstable that he made other militia members nervous?

    Militia leaders have repeatedly stated that the purpose of the “true militia” is to uphold the law and the Constitution. Why didn’t the Oath Keepers keep their oaths to uphold the law? The militia and Oath Keepers dropped the ball on this one. They provided material support to a man their own people regarded as dangerous enough to disarm, interrogate, and eject from their camp. They rearmed him and then chose not to notify the County Sheriff, a local elected official who is constitutionally authorized to deal with such matters. The Oath Keepers and militia members knowingly released a violent and armed felon loose upon the citizens of the State of Nevada. In doing so, they betrayed the basic foundations of this country, their own purported belief system, and the Code of the West. Three innocent people are dead because of their failure to act.

    • Gary Hunt says:

      Doug,
      You are persistent – and believe that you are the “know all”. However, you misrepresent, from not knowing all (aka ignorance), what the militia is. It is a defensive force. It has not taken an oath “to uphold the law”, as you suggest. If it did, it would only uphold lawful laws. There is nothing in the Constitution that requires me to turn in my neighbor. There is nothing in the Constitution that limits ownership of firearms. It was discretion on the part of the militia shared command that lead them to bar the Millers from the area. It was gracious of the militia (Rhodes) to give them some money to get them back to Las Vegas, where they had already been living before this incident. The guns were returned to a non-felon (read the updated version, above). Can your wife own a gun, if you are a felon?
      You impose what you think on others. Let me impose, then, on you. This is not a freedom of speech zone, it is a blog and intend to allow rational discussion. Your persistence is not conducive to a reasonable discussion. You are, therefore, banned from posting any more on this page. I trust that is sufficiently clear.

      • Paul Niblock says:

        lol! Gary had to smack a bitch. 🙂 a footnote: I’ve yet to see any evidence of officers gunned down and draped with a gadsden flag. It’s a moving narrative, but only a narrative. to question it brings incredulous and flippant retorts, but still no photos or security camera footage. nothing.

        • ghunt says:

          Paul,
          There was footage, at the time. However, I didn’t save it.
          With government, there are restrictions on what the will release. They don’t like pictures of dead officers, so you can’t get them, if the government has them.
          There was video footage from the store where the Millers were taken out, showing the bodies.

    • Ed says:

      Um,there’s nothing in the Constitution (the Supreme Law of the Land, remember?) about disarming felons who have paid their debt to society. In fact, not so long ago, when a criminal completed his sentence he was given some money, a horse, and his gun(s) were returned to him. Part of that “shall not be infringed” thing. Not being judges or jurists, it wasn’t and isn’t the militia’s job to do any more than to keep things civil. Given the situation at the time, I would say they acted pragmatically and saved time and energy for more important stuff, like not getting anyone shot. Remind me to pass judgement on your conduct some time when I have sketchy info…NOT! Had you been there, maybe you would have had standing to help decide the proper course. Since neither you or I were there, perhaps we should allow that those on the scene were/are capable of being adults and conducting affairs without our blessing…or our interference…likely a good habit to cultivate during and after the coming festivities. This Republic was founded and grew strong on individual responsibility and also a pretty good dose of minding one’s own business…ideas, methinks, whose time has come again…

  5. […] obligation, or right, to do other than what they did. The Millers were sent on their way. ~Outpost of FreedomJerad Miller admits this in a rant on April 19th. It is also reported that they were White […]

  6. Matheus Grunt says:

    As Ed stated, and I agree with him entirely, Jared being a felon from his past conviction on something he already answered for is not just or constitutional. All the people out here who have had their rights suppressed by “laws” just because they did something that the state said was a felony, they went to prison for, and then got out, all of that is illegal & immoral. As a militiaman (which we all are under 10 USC 311), a patriot & an American, I feel it is my duty to speak the truth on these sorts of matters. Our rights cannot be suspended or removed just because someone went to prison for something. Sorry. It is not the militia groups responsibility also to enforce unlawful statutes much less law in general, unless we are making citizens arrests, fighting back against the govt and or the elected Sheriff requests our assistance in law enforcement matters.

  7. Michael Butler says:

    Apparently this is a sensitive topic to some folks, and has generated flags being discussed elsewhere. The ‘Eye of Sauron’ becomes focused you could say. Some ‘investigators’ if that’s what they can be termed, have made inquiries about the Miller’s and the Bundy Ranch connections to determine more precisely what is known. Apparently there is more meat to be discovered. There is a source of fear and concern here. In my opinion, the Miller’s were intended to go much much deeper at Bundy Ranch than they achieved, being stopped cold by a humble group of militia and patriots. Did they have help from real ‘insiders’? Was it dumb luck? Were the militia counter intel really that good? Or perhaps the hand of God himself intervened? I find it curious how the Miller’s shortly after their arrival are given immediate media attention and airtime, designed to surface later, which it did on queue. That dark operation, and I believe that’s exactly what it was, had no Plan B, the Las Vegas shooting became a haphazard afterthought, so it must’ve been quite a shock in certain circles when these folks were thwarted. The supposed best in the business, stopped by a rag tag bunch of regular Joe’s…you can’t make this stuff up. This was supposed to lead up to a final ‘coup de grâce’ for Bundy, but now is like a scab that quite never heals.

    • ghunt says:

      Michael,
      Those thoughts were ever present while looking in to the Millers. I can tell you that both Ryan Payne and I agree that there was what he and I recognize as Divine Intervention, both in this instance and an a number of other instances during the Bundy Affair.

  8. Michael Butler says:

    Funny you should mention that Gary. I saw and felt the same things. I recently received some clarity about certain issues, and Ryan Payne was also on my mind at that time. That’s no coincidence. I wonder when our paths will cross again. Divine Providence continues. We may not understand the timing or reasoning, but I will certainly be enjoying the ride.

    • ghunt says:

      Michael,
      I began that “ride” while in Waco, back in March 1993. So many things have occurred that I cannot doubt that “Intervention” to be something tangible and identifiable.
      I have no that if it is in the plan, we will, someday, meet. And, I expect that it is.

  9. […] contacted a number of people at the Ranch to find out what role, if any, the Miller’s played (Vetting the Millers). I found that they did spend some time in the public area, but were never allowed at the ranch. […]

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