In addition to all the other problems inherited by the second Trump administration, it turns out we’re embroiled in a genuine range war in South Dakota — one of the Biden administration’s own making.
But Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins could reverse it with a phone call, and put an end to the hell that the federal government is putting a family of ranchers through.
Charles and Heather Maude are the latest successors of the Maude family ranch, which has been carrying on for more than a century, since 1910. Their property runs along the Cheyenne River near the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.
Last summer, halfway through the Biden administration’s last full year, a federal grand jury indicted the Maudes for stealing public land — 25 acres of grasslands for cultivation and 25 acres for grazing — through their placement of a fence.
The Maudes say the fence was erected decades ago — a neighbor claims that it goes as far back as the 1950s. It was placed to separate the Maude property from U.S. government land.
In addition, Charles and Heather Maude were each charged under separate indictments, requiring them to hire two separate defense attorneys. And because they’re charged separately, they’re forbidden from discussing the case with one another.
South Dakota House Speaker John Hansen was one of more than a dozen lawmakers and community leaders who met with the Maudes earlier this month, and he described what they’ve been going through.
“The Maudes met with the Forest Service and agreed that a survey should take place to help settle the dispute,” Hansen said. “But instead of continuing the discussion like neighbors to sort out any disagreement, the feds went ahead and indicted Charles and Heather for 'theft of government property,' a charge which faces up to 10 years in federal prison and up to $250,000 fines.”
While the case is pending, the court suspended the Maudes' Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms.
Hansen observed that if the Maudes are found guilty and incarcerated, it wouldn’t just be Charles and Heather who would pay the price. They have two young children who would suddenly be without a mom and dad.
Hansen believes that this is no way to resolve differences of opinion — at least not in a civilized society.
“This isn’t how disputes should be handled in South Dakota — or anywhere. Neighbors talk. If we disagree, we keep talking and work it out — just like the Maudes want to be able to do,” Hansen said.
We’ve all heard of residential property being taken over by squatters while the owners are away for a few weeks on vacation or on business. The underlying theory of acquiring property under adverse possession is “if you don’t use it, you lose it.”
In this case the Maude family have been openly and notoriously using the land under dispute for decades. Even if the fence was misplaced, the land should now be theirs.
Also, the Maudes are being criminally charged with stealing federal land by purposely misplacing a fence that was erected by Charles Maude’s father, or maybe even by his grandfather.
Even if the government believes that the sins of the father should be paid by the son, that shouldn’t apply to Heather Maude, who merely married into the family.
Hansen closed with a plea to the Trump administration.
“I sincerely hope that our federal government, now led once again by great people in President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary Rollins, steps in as soon as possible to review this case and DISMISS THESE CHARGES.”
We may as well add Tom Schultz, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to the list.
President Ronald Reagan was spot-on when he observed that “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'”
Reagan spoke those words on August 12, 1988, nearly 37 years ago, by which time the Maude fence, according to all available evidence, had already been erected.
In most cases, the best thing the government can do to help the people it’s supposed to serve is to get the hell out of the way.
That’s what they should do now — just walk away.
Attorney General Bondi should dismiss the charges against the Maudes so they can get back to doing what they do best — providing food for America’s dinner tables.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He's also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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