Ryan Bundy, a leader in the Oregon Wildlife Refuge standoff, was planning to escape from jail, according to a report from Oregon Public Broadcasting.

During a pretrial hearing in Portland, OR., prosecutors alleged that Bundy had been plotting his escape from the Multnomah County jail when jail staff discovered his bed sheets had been tied together into a 12-15 foot “braided rope” in April, OPB reported.

According to the report, Bundy also had been keeping surplus containers and clothing, which violated jail rules. He was written up for those violations, but never faced formal reprimand for the jail break attempt.

Bundy denied the prosecution’s accusation, arguing he was just “a rancher trying to practice braiding rope,” according to OPB.

“It’s self-serving speculation,” OPB reported Bundy said at the hearing.