Republican gubernatorial candidate Ammon Bundy was convicted Thursday of misdemeanor trespassing and resisting or obstructing arrest, stemming from August protests at the Statehouse.
An Ada County jury convicted Bundy and an associate, Aaron Von Schmidt, after a four-day trial.
Bundy was arrested during a contentious special legislative session in August, after refusing to leave the Statehouse’s Lincoln Auditorium. Eventually, police wheeled Bundy from the legislative committee room and out of the Statehouse as Bundy sat in a swivel chair.
Twice arrested during this special session, Bundy remains banned from the Idaho Statehouse — where he hopes to work, should he unseat incumbent Gov. Brad Little in 2022.
Bundy’s misdemeanor convictions do not preclude his run for governor, according to Ruth Brown of Idaho Public Television, who has a full report on the court proceedings.
Jurors deliberated for an hour and a half before returning their verdicts, Brown reported.
Ada County Magistrate Judge David Manweiler sentenced Bundy to three days in jail, but gave him credit for three days already served. Bundy will face a fine and 40 hours of community service, Brown reported.
In a statement Thursday, Bundy said he will not appeal. “The people of Idaho have spoken and I will serve my sentence as ordered.”
Bundy, of Emmett, formally announced his candidacy last month. He is among eight Republicans who have filed initial paperwork for a gubernatorial run, while two unaffiliated candidates and one Democrat have filed paperwork as well. State GOP Chairman Tom Luna has disavowed Bundy’s antics and “chaotic political theater.”
