Oregon State Police on Friday arrested a Crescent man in Burns on charges involving the theft of two government vehicles from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which has been occupied by armed militia for nearly two weeks.

Meanwhile, militia members took down cameras they claimed were installed by the FBI and cut a new road on the refuge, drawing sharp criticism from federal officials.

OSP troopers arrested Kenneth Medenbach, 62, shortly after noon at the Safeway in Burns, the Harney County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. He was arrested on probable cause for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

The agency said police recovered two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service vehicles, a pickup truck and a van, "previously reported" as stolen to the sheriff's office.

A spokesman at law enforcement's joint information center told NewsChannel 21 "the vehicles were reported stolen after the situation started" at the refuge. They could not elaborate about the arrest, other than it was only of Medenbach and while he's charged with just one count, two vehicles were recovered.

OSP troopers and deputies from several county sheriff's offices called in to help patrol the area responded to the scene. Officials said Medenbach was being transported to the Deschutes County Jail and would be held on $10,000 bail.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is grateful for the quick actions from law enforcement," said USFWS spokeswoman Megan Nagel. "We will continue to work with law enforcement to recover vehicles bought and paid for by the American people to care for their national wildlife refuge."

A March 2014 article in The Bulletin said a La Pine-area property on U.S. Highway 97 had Medenbach, "known locally as the wood carver," as its longtime tenant but had recently vacated the property.

He operates Chainsaw Creations in Crescent, according to a Website devoted to his work, including various carvings and cabins.

Back in 1995, the Bureau of Land Management told Medenbach he had to leave his makeshift cabin on federal land in northern Klamath County that he claimed to own.

"I feel the Lord's telling me to possess the land, and I can legally do it, because the U.S. Constitution says the government does not own the land," said Medenbach, who described himself as a born-again Christian, according to an Associated Press story.

A 2002 book by Robert L. Snow called "Terrorists Among Us: The Militia Threat," also included Medenbach, referring to him as "a member of the Oregon Militia" who had a number of confrontations with county officials regarding building codes on his five-acre property near La Pine. The book said Medenbach was building his dream home out of discarded refrigerators, water heaters and other such material.

"A 'code' is only a suggestion. It's not a law," he was quoted as saying, adding, "He subscribes to the legal theory that the courts have no authority over him because all judges belong to the state bar association, which he believes is unconstitutional."

"I'm willing to pay the price for my convictions," said Medenbach. "Someday, when the laws become too stringent, people will start waking up."

Ammon Bundy would not comment about the arrest, but the group was busy in other ways Friday, taking down at least five "surveillance" cameras they claim were being used by the FBI or others to spy on them.

The group said Harney County residents alerted them to the cameras, about 15 miles from the refuge, which they claim were being used to monitor their comings and goings.

"We don't like being spied on," Randy Bundy said.

Also Oregon Public Broadcasting's Amanda Peacher tweeted a photo Thursday evening of a road freshly cut by the militia on the refuge, prompting a stern statement Friday from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"Building new roads without appropriate planning makes important cultural artifacts vulnerable to desecration and disrespect. It also puts habitat and wildlife at risk. Not to mention the unknown cost to the American taxpayer to repair the damage caused by building unplanned roads on the Refuge.

"The Service strongly condemns any action that puts cultural resources at risk. We take our trust responsibility to our First People's very seriously, and this is disappointing," the agency said.

FWS spokesman Jason Holm said of the action "It's deplorable. I'm not sure what part of the occupiers' interpretation of the Constitution promotes the destruction and desecration of culturally significant Native American sites. We share in the outrage of the Burns Paiute Tribe. This is disgusting, ghoulish behavior."

A community forum that was planned Friday night in Burns was canceled after county officials denied them permission to hold it at the county-owned fairgrounds.

Travis Williams of the Harney County Safety Committee announced the cancellation Friday morning: "There is no meeting tonight."

A spokesman for the group, Arizona rancher Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, said they are hoping to reset the meeting for Monday, if they can find a place to hold it.

Finicum acknowledged Friday that not everybody in Harney County wants the group there, adding, "But it's not about the masses. It's about the individual."

Two weeks in, the group's motives are unwavering: "This land must never be returned to the federal government," Finicum told NewsChannel 21 during an interview Friday.

Finicum said he's keeping one office at the refuge as his own, and that "As long as there's one rancher who says, 'LaVoy, don't go' -- here I am

He called the refuge a symbol for their fight against the federal government.

"We've taken this fortress, and we're here to hold it," Finicum said.

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During the group's daily press conference Thursday, Bundy also called Harney County Judge Steve Grasty a "dictator" for not allowing the group to have its meeting at the fairgrounds.

"It is acts like this that expose the true problem: government officials are not the masters, they are the servants," Bundy said. "The people are the masters, they own the right, they own the buildings."

Grasty said the county will not do anything that supports or enables the Bundy group.

"That means no county building is available to the armed militia, including Mr. Bundy," Grasty said.

Without a meeting spot, it's uncertain if the community meeting will happen on Friday night.