A federal judge in Las Vegas cut short the testimony of an Idaho gun enthusiast in the middle of his Bunkerville standoff retrial.
Eric Parker was photographed in April 2014 pointing a long gun through a barrier on I-15 that overlooked a ditch where protesters had gathered to face BLM agents.
Before the start of the trial, U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro barred the defense from referencing constitutional rights to freely assemble and to bear arms.
Prosecutors first objected to Parker’s testimony about 20 minutes after he took the stand and uttered the words “First Amendment.”
After spending less than an hour testifying on the stand, Parker seemed to reference the area where he believed a sniper had been.
Acting U.S. Attorney Steve Myhre objected and requested a meeting with the judge and defense attorneys.
Moments later, Navarro returned to the bench and told Parker to step down.
Attorney Jess Marchese said Navarro ruled Parker had violated a court order by describing what he saw.