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Ore. fire chief resigns, sides with armed protesters

An extended prison term for two arsonists has fueled protests over animal grazing rights on federal land that’s escalated into an armed stand off

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KATU.com

HARNEY COUNTY, Ore. — The Harney County fire chief resigned Wednesday because he says he no longer trusts the local government.

Chris Briels stood next Ammon Bundy, the leader of an armed group that has taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, and announced he had turned in his resignation to county Judge Steve Grasty. Briels accused the Bureau of Land Management of land grabbing and supports the effort to hand over the land to ranchers, but he also feels betrayed by Grasty and other members of the county government, a first sign of fracture among local leaders.

Briels said Grasty confronted him when he questioned why some undercover FBI agents were at the county armory. He said Grasty told him to back off.

Full story: Harney County fire chief resigns, sides with armed protesters