GRANGEVILLE, Idaho — A former participant in an armed occupation in 2016 at an Oregon wildlife refuge has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in connection with his role in a police shootout in Idaho last year.
Sean L. Anderson of Riggins was convicted in April of felony aggravated assault on a police officer and the use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime. Second District Judge Gregory FitzMaurice sentenced Anderson on Monday, saying the defendant’s justification for why he shot at police after they tried to pull him over was “shallow,” The Lewiston Tribune reported.
“Your actions in this case are the ones that escalated everything,” the judge told Anderson. “I cannot understand the degree to which you responded.”
Anderson was arrested several days after a police pursuit and shootout July 18, 2020, following an attempted traffic stop. The pursuit ended when the vehicle stopped in a residential area and police said Anderson shot at them, with officers returning fire.
