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Tuesday, December 31, 2024

On This Date in 2016: Arrest warrant issued for pipeline protestor for ‘felonious restraint’ of journalists, and other charges

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James "Angry Bird" White | NDResponse.gov

James "Angry Bird" White | NDResponse.gov

On December 21, 2016, the Morton County Sheriff's Department issued an arrest warrant for James “Angry Bird” White, of Cannon Ball, N.D., related to incidents during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. 

White faced charges of felonious restraint, reckless endangerment, fleeing law enforcement, and reckless driving.

The felonious restraint charge stemmed from an incident on October 18, 2016, when White and others allegedly surrounded a vehicle occupied by journalists. The group reportedly prevented the journalists from leaving and demanded video footage. Law enforcement said protesters struck the vehicle’s windows during the encounter.

On October 14, 2016, White was also accused of driving a pickup truck with passengers in the vehicle's bed at high speeds through a ditch to evade law enforcement. Officials reported that White re-entered the road, blocked a deputy’s vehicle, and fled, resulting in charges of reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

White surrendered to the Morton County Sheriff's Department on January 10, 2017. Following his arrest, White accepted a plea deal, resulting in probation instead of prison time. The terms of the deal included 24 months of supervised probation.

Further details on the arrest warrant can be found in the official ND Response announcement. Information about White's arrest is also available on ND Response.

The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests of 2016 and 2017 aimed to halt the construction of the reported $3.8 billion pipeline and “drew thousands of people to camp out” in Morton County, the Associated Press reported.

The protests resulted in 761 arrests, according to MPR News. Charges ranged from trespassing to more severe offenses. A significant number of those arrested were from out of state.

California resident and actress Shailene Woodley was arrested in October 2016. Other figures, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCaprio, participated in the protests but were not arrested.

Certain days of the protests resulted in dozens of arrests, such as February 1, 2017, when 76 people were arrested after Morton County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Rob Keller said a “rogue group of protesters” had trespassed on private property.

The State of North Dakota is currently suing the federal government to “recoup $38 million it claims it spent policing the protest camps,” Source NM reported.

Attorneys for North Dakota reportedly argued in court records that the protests “resulted from an illegal occupation on federal lands and led to ‘frequent outbreaks of illegal, dangerous, unsanitary, and life-threatening activity on federal, state and private property.’”

North Dakota Special Assistant Attorney General Paul Seby said in court that the aftermath of the protests “required a four-day cleanup of the camp and 600 bins to remove 9.8 million pounds of trash,” according to MPR News.

Former Morton County Commissioner Cody Schulz, who is now the director of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, said in court that, “beyond the drain on law enforcement, the protests caused a range of impacts on Morton County — everything from minor inconveniences like sluggish traffic to damage to private property,” Source NM reported.

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