An anti-government activist with ties to Nevada was arrested in Utah on an accusation of failing to obey a peace officer during a traffic stop last week.

The Iron County, Utah, Sheriff’s Office said on its website that at 8:18 a.m. Wednesday a county deputy saw a 2020 F-250 without a license plate traveling on Interstate 15 near Cedar City. The deputy pulled the vehicle over and found Ammon Bundy at the wheel. Bundy, authorities said, produced an expired Idaho driver’s license.

“Bundy was asked if the truck was registered and Bundy informed the deputy it was not,” the sheriff’s office said. “The deputy asked why the truck was not registered and Bundy stated ‘you can talk to my lawyer.’”

Bundy also told the deputy he had owned the truck for about two years.

Authorities said they told Bundy they intended to impound the vehicle because it had no active registration.

“When Bundy was informed that his vehicle was going to be impounded, he refused the lawful order to exit the vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said. “When the deputy opened the driver’s door and again ordered Bundy to exit the vehicle, providing reasonable amount of time and space to comply, he refused and grabbed the steering wheel with his right arm.”

The deputy and other law enforcement then had to physically remove Bundy from the truck and placed him face down on the ground while he was handcuffed.

“Bundy continued to resist by keeping his arms tight to his body and had to be forcefully handcuffed,” the sheriff’s office said. “While attempting to move Bundy to a patrol vehicle for transport, Bundy refused to walk with them, instead dragging his legs, at which point he was carried to the vehicle.”

Bundy received a medical evaluation and was then booked into jail on one count each of failure to obey a peace officer, interfering with a peace officer, driving without a registration and no valid license-expired.

He was later released after posting bail.

Bundy has ties to Nevada. He is the son of Cliven Bundy, who battled the government for more than 25 years over grazing rights for his cattle. Ammon Bundy, his brother, his father, and a Montana man were considered the leaders of what the government alleged was a massive conspiracy in April 2014 to assault law enforcement officers during a one-day standoff a few miles from a Bundy ranch near Bunkerville. They were arrested and charged in the episode, but the case was later dismissed due to misconduct by prosecutors.

Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page describing his recent arrest.

“I was headed to the ranch on I-15 in my truck and just so you know, I haven’t registered my truck since the day I bought it in 2020,” he said.

Ammon Bundy said he was previously pulled over for no registration in Idaho and let go. He also previously received a warning in Utah. He said he does have vehicle insurance because it is the right thing to do.

Regarding his arrest, he said of the deputy who stopped him, “he’s just a revenue generator for the county sheriff.”

He said six officers, including a state trooper, ended up responding to his stop. He said he spent a few hours in jail before he was bailed out by a friend.

Ammon Bundy said when he went to retrieve his truck the tow yard told him he couldn’t get it back without an impound release form from the Department of Motor Vehicles. He went to the DMV and was given an invoice for $725.75.

He then went back to the tow company and was told he owed another $410 for the towing of his truck. His bail amount approached $700, he said.

He eventually got the truck back and drove back to near the scene of his arrest and parked his vehicle at a nearby gas station. He said he then started walking on I-15 and walked eight miles. He did so because at the time of his arrest, he told the deputy who arrested him he had a right to travel and was told in response he didn’t have the right to drive his truck without permission.

“You can walk,” Ammon Bundy quoted the deputy as saying.

During the protest walk on I-15 he was approached by another deputy and told he couldn’t walk on the side of the interstate. Ammon Bundy said he shrugged his shoulder ignored the deputy.

“To be honest with you I was trying to provoke them to arrest me,” Ammon Bundy said, adding later “the point I was making is that really our right to travel is completely restricted. They say I can’t travel without their permission. That’s not a right, that’s a privilege.”

Ammon Bundy added that “our rights come first from our creator.”

“Our rights don’t come from government,” he said. “Our liberties don’t come from government. They came from God and the purpose of government is to protect them. One of those rights, fundamentally, is a right to travel. That is inseparably connected to liberty.”

Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.