When I read an article about the sentencing of Blaine Cooper a.k.a. Stanley Blaine Hicks Jr. for his role in peaceful protests at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, I was disappointed that I did not know of his history as a turncoat rat the day that I met him. That day was February 27, 2017 in the holding cell waiting to see U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon. Blaine was sitting in front of me in a suit and I was in jail scrubs waiting to seek pre-violation release, so when I met him I assumed that he had some type of pre-trial release issue. When I asked what he was in for he said, "I was at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge with Ammon Bundy." Thinking he was one of the good guys I responded by telling him how much I liked his work. If I knew that he was about to testify for the Government against protester Jason Patrick and others, I would have tried my best to knock him out. Even if he got the better of me, I would have at least forced him to testify with a black eye.
I should have known because when I was booked into the Multnomah County Jail for a supervised release violation on February 24, 2017, I met Ryan Bundy. Bundy was being booked into the jail on a USM hold because he was brought to Oregon from the Nevada Southern Detention Center to testify for the defense. Bundy had been found not guilty in the same court the previous fall and was awaiting trial in Nevada on similar trumped up charges to the ones he was acquitted on in Oregon. Bundy's Nevada case was eventually dismissed for prosecutorial misconduct. I talked to Bundy quite a bit in the fish tank at the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC). Bundy talked about getting shot when Lavoy Finicum was murdered and I recall talking about my reaction to the cell phone footage of that crime as well as my respect for his work, but I never remember Bundy ever specifically warning me to be on the lookout for a rat named Blaine Cooper or Stanley Blaine Hicks Jr. If I have forgotten I apologize, but I do not believe that Bundy told me about Cooper. Anyone that knows of a rat in a jail should tell as many people as possible.
In the future I recommend telling other inmates. If they are solid dudes they will do the right thing if given the opportunity. Having paperwork helps too, so they know you're telling the truth.
If only Bundy had known better, I can't help but think that Cooper would have had more to cry about at his sentencing besides the months he spent in jail, his financial ruin, and losing friends due to his cowardice. He would have cried about the day he got his face smashed by the Cop Blaster and hopefully he would have had more regret for stabbing people in the back than he did for going to the refuge.