Cabinet members and lawmakers shared the stage with a South Dakota ranch family Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The Trump Administration dropped criminal charges against Charles and Heather Maude. The couple was indicted in June of last year for theft of government property. The Maudes were alerted by the U.S. Forest Service that their fencing blocked access to the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. It turned into a legal dispute over 25 acres of federal land and property rights. “The Maude family’s been put through hell by the overreaching federal government and today we restore sanity, we restore fairness and justice, and we send a clear message to the American people that this administration stands with you,” said South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden. “The federal government threatened the Maudes with up to a quarter million dollar fine and ten years in prison, all for working the land and to put food on the table for the American people.” Heather Maude thanked their supporters, including her neighbors. “Our neighbors stood up for us with the threat of retribution to their own operations that they still face until we get this completely resolved.” The media briefing also featured Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds and South Dakota Congressman Johnson.
