Jake Edward Ryan, the 27-year-old Montana man who has been sought by federal authorities for more than two weeks on an indictment stemming from the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, was found hiding in a stranger's shed in Clark County Tuesday afternoon.

Jake E. Ryan, 27

A homeowner in rural Clark County had called 911, and officers found Ryan asleep in a shed on the property, with a loaded .45-caliber handgun and several knives, Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel told a judge Wednesday.

FBI agents from Portland booked him into the Multnomah County Detention Center at 3:59 p.m. Tuesday.

He made his first appearance in federal court Wednesday.

Ryan is charged with federal conspiracy to impede officers at the federal wildlife refuge outside of Burns through intimidation, threats or force, possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon in a federal facility and degradation of government property. He's accused of assisting co-defendant Sean Anderson in digging a large trench on an archaeological site at the refuge considered sacred to the Burns Paiute Tribe at the refuge.

Ryan entered not guilty pleas to the indictment Wednesday afternoon. Assistant federal public defender Gerald Needham was appointed to represent him.

Federal prosecutors intend to argue for his continued detention at a hearing Thursday afternoon.

Gabriel said he's concerned Ryan is a risk of flight and danger to the community, noting that he's been a fugitive for about one month, since a grand jury returned the indictment against him. It's been more than two weeks since the federal government disclosed Ryan's name as a defendant. His name initially had been redacted as federal agents searched for him.

Gabriel said it appeared from Facebook postings that Ryan's family had tried to harbor him, and had hired an attorney for him.

"He's an active participant in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge,'' Gabriel added.

A detention hearing for Ryan will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian