President Trump’s USDA announced on Monday that criminal charges levied against Charles and Heather Maude from South Dakota had been dropped.
This is an amazing victory and it’s all due to Secretary Brooke Rollins, Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Trump.
“The Maudes are not criminals. They have worked their land since the early 1900’s and something that should have been a minor civil land dispute…turned into an overzealous criminal prosecution on a hardworking family that was close to losing their home, children, and livelihood. Not in America, not under President Trump,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins.
This was “[A] politically motivated witch hunt…,” Rollins continued. Dropping these charges against the Maude family is not only just, it affirms the American First mandate that was sent to Washington when President Trump was overwhelmingly elected and sworn into office just 100 days ago.”
The Administration is fully committed to ending government regulation by prosecution. President Trump will never stop fighting for farmers and ranchers like the Maude family,” continued Rollins.
The Maude family is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, April 30th for an in-person press conference where further updates on the case and actions being taken by the Trump Administration to limit government regulation by prosecution will be shared.
The Maudes were to have a hearing today in Federal District Court in Rapid City, South Dakota, but that was rescheduled for July 22nd.
On Monday, Federal Judge Camela Theeler signed the order dismissing the indictments against Charles and Heather Maude. The order also exonerated the couple from the conditions of their release from custody while awaiting trial. Those conditions had included a gag order not allowing the two as husband and wife from communicating with each other about the case.
Alison J. Ramsdell, United States Attorney, who signed the summons stating they stole “approximately, 25 acres of National Grasslands for cultivation and approximately 25 acres of National Grasslands for grazing cattle,” also filed charges against the two separately so they would each have to hire legal counsel to represent them.
Significant questions have been raised as to what motivated the Biden Forest Service to criminally prosecute the Maude’s instead of resolving a boundary dispute with the family.
This is total vindication for the Maude family and the Trump administration made it happen.
To read more about the Maude’s plight, click HERE or click HERE.
