William Provine

You can bet these officers were not expecting to be tresspassed from the property themselves. ​Officers arrived at a private residence following an anonymous caller's claim of unauthorized entry, as they saw someone climb through a window. What the officers clearly didn’t anticipate was who was standing in the doorway: the deeded property owner, backed up by anti-government and constitutional activist Ryan Bundy (known for the 2014 Bunkerville standoff and the 2016 Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation) alongside associates Mr. Byrd and Mr. Kinnaman. ​Bundy and his network frequently intercede in contested foreclosures, bank auction disputes, and property ownership battles by challenging government jurisdiction and invoking strict common-law and constitutional property rights. When the officers pressed on how the occupants gained entry, the homeowner shut it down immediately, making it clear that a titled property owner has every legal right to enter their own home through any opening they choose, and advised the officers to check county deed records instead of interrogating him on his porch. ​Rather than giving in to roadside questioning without a warrant, exigent circumstances, or evidence of a crime, Bundy issued a direct challenge to the responding sergeant and officers. Citing Fourth Amendment curtilage protections and prior legal notices allegedly served to the chief of police and city counsel, he placed the officers on a strict 10-second countdown to exit the private property or face civil rights lawsuits for unlawful trespass. ​Facing firm resistance, no legal exception to bypass the Fourth Amendment, and the looming prospect of a federal lawsuit, the officers were forced to de-escalate and walk off the property. A stark reminder that a badge doesn't grant automatic entry onto private land, and local police have no business acting as private enforcement in civil property disputes.