More On The "Miner Dave" Arrest

UPDATE --  As of 10:52 PM tonight I now have a link to the segment of the Bill Meyer Show posted on the SWOMA website featuring David Everist: Miner Dave on the Bill Meyer Show

As reported here, Southwest Oregon miner David Everist was arrested at his placer claim by the USFS last Thursday.

The South West Oregon Mining Association (SWOMA) now has a video on their site in which Everist describes the circumstances of his arrest by the USFS:

USFS Terror:  The Illegal Arrest of "Miner Dave"

According to the video, on the evening of Thursday, February 23rd, representatives of the Jefferson Mining District were contacted by Sheriff Gil Gilbertson of Josephine County, Oregon, who told them that he had been informed by a federal agency that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of miner David Everist and that agents were on their way to the Sturgis Fork of Carberry Creek to make the arrest.

On the video, Everist states that he was arrested at his claim by USFS agent Michael Gardiner, in company with three other agents, at about 4:30 to 5:00 on the evening of February 23rd and transported by them to the Jackson County jail. (Note:  According to BLM records, Everist's claim is in Josephine County.)   Everist says the agents told him that they had no warrant for the arrest as it was based on an "informational complaint."

Everist says he was held in jail overnight and taken to federal court on Friday morning. After the arraignment, he was taken back to the jail by Federal Marshals and finally released about noon.  The charge against him is the unauthorized cutting of timber.

In order to be released, Everist said he was "forced" to sign an agreement that he would remove his personal property from his claim within two weeks.  Also, that he could visit his claim but may not stay overnight nor can he mine or prospect there or anywhere within the national forest.  Everist also says that the USFS's main complaint was that he was living on his claim without their permission and without a plan of operations.

Everist was also scheduled to appear on the Bill Meyer Show on Medford, Oregon, radio station KMED 1440 AM at 8:10AM on February 29th to talk about his arrest.  However, I have not yet been able to locate an audio recording of this broadcast.

More as it happens.