Charges against military veterans on their way to Standing Rock have raised concerns that they’re being targeted for aiding Native American activists

Police have filed charges against two US veterans supporting Standing Rock, holding one in jail for several days, raising concerns that law enforcement is trying to prevent them from aiding activists at the Dakota Access pipeline.

Officers in North Dakota and South Dakota have pulled over and searched at least four veterans on their way to the camps at Standing Rock in recent days, charging two of them for medical cannabis. Police confiscated one veteran’s car and also seized what officials called “protester gear”, which included camping supplies.

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The charges against two veterans, who said they use medical cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, come days after a veterans service organization announced it would be returning to Standing Rock to provide support. Indigenous activists, known as water protectors, have been fighting the $3.7bn pipeline since last spring and have continued to live at camps near the construction site as drilling has resumed.

“I’m honestly disgusted. It makes no sense to us,” said Mark Sanderson, executive director of VeteransRespond, the group coordinating the return to Standing Rock. “Why are you trying to attack a group of veterans doing nothing more than a humanitarian aid mission in North Dakota?”

News of the charges adds to growing concerns that law enforcement is aggressively monitoring, arresting and prosecuting people affiliated with the anti-pipeline movement. The Guardian recently reported that an FBI terrorism task force has attempted to contact at least three people tied to the demonstrations.

The Morton County sheriff’s office announced the news of the arrests late Monday with a press release titled “Leader of VeteransRespond Cited for Drug Possession”, which summarized charges against a number of vets.

Matthew Crane, one of five founding members of VeteransRespond, was pulled over last Friday night when he was arriving to Standing Rock with two other vets and a fourth passenger. The group got lost on a closed road, he said, and they were trying to find officers to get directions.

When they encountered police, officers eventually searched the vehicle and their luggage and found Crane’s bag of marijuana. He was charged with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, since cannabis remains illegal in North Dakota..

“Everyone is trying to slander a service organization,” Crane said in an interview on Monday night at the Sacred Stone camp, hours after police blasted his name and charge to the media. “It gives me a sick feeling in my stomach that veterans are being attacked.”

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The 33-year-old navy veteran said he has a disability stemming from his service and that the roughly one gram of medical marijuana he had on him came from Washington DC, where cannabis is legal. He lives in New York, where medical cannabis is also legal. “Cannabis is a really, really safe and beneficial tool to deal with the PTSD I have.”

On Thursday, police in Mobridge, South Dakota, arrested two individuals that officials claimed were VeteransRespond members. Sanderson, however, said they were not members, although one of them, Travis Biolette, is now loosely affiliated with the group, which is assisting him in his charges.

According to the Morton County news alert, South Dakota police performed a traffic stop “for a Michigan-plated vehicle” and that during the stop, an officer “recognized signs of criminal activity”. Having an out of state license is not a violation, and it’s unclear what activity the officer observed.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Travis Biolette, who uses hash oil for his PTSD, is facing a felony and up to five years in state prison. Photograph: Courtesy of Travis Biolette

A police search found hash oil, which is classified as a controlled substance in South Dakota. “The car and protester gear were also confiscated and placed into evidence,” police said. Biolette and his friend were taken to jail in Selby, South Dakota.

In a phone interview Monday night, Biolette said he spent four nights in jail and was released earlier in the day. He said that police pulled him over for speeding about six miles above the limit and that when he revealed he was going to Standing Rock, the officer launched a search.

“As soon as I said I was going to Sacred Stone, he asked me to get out of the car and put me in his vehicle,” said Biolette, a 41-year-old from Michigan, who served in the marine corps from 1994 to 2001. He said the hash oil is his prescribed medication, which he uses for PTSD and major depressive disorder.

“I have no prior record. This is my first run-in with law enforcement,” said Biolette, who said he is facing a felony and up to five years in state prison.

Biolette, who is now getting support from VeteransRespond members who picked him up from jail, said police still have his vehicle with all of his possessions, including his cold-weather clothing. Nonetheless, he was still planning on Monday night to go to Standing Rock, which he also visited last year.

“I don’t have any anger in me at the police,” he said. “I pray that they will somehow understand … that they might not be on the right side of history.”

VeteransRespond has said it intends to help Standing Rock leaders on camp with a range of responsibilities, including cleanup efforts, kitchen help and medical aid.

The Mobridge police department could not be reached for comment.