Editing Ruby Ridge standoff (section)

=== U.S. Marshals Service involvement ===
When the Weaver case passed from the ATF to the USMS, no one informed the marshals that the ATF had attempted to solicit Weaver as an informant.<ref name=RRTF_OPR_IVB2b2>RRTF, ''Report of the RRTF to the OPR'' (1994), Ch. IV., §B.2.b.(2), pp. 40–43. [Quote:] "Indeed, it was not until over a year later that the marshals learned of this action."</ref>

As the law enforcement arm of the federal courts, the USMS were responsible to arrest and bring in Weaver, now considered a [[fugitive]].<ref name="newsweekbow">{{cite news|title=Every Knee Shall Bow|url=http://www.newsweek.com/every-knee-shall-bow-182430|access-date=July 22, 2017|work=Newsweek|date=August 27, 1995}}</ref> Weaver simply stayed in his remote home, threatening to resist any attempt to take him by force.<ref>{{cite journal|date=March 1, 1992|title=Feds Have Fugitive 'Under Our Nose'|journal=Spokesman Review|page=A19|location=Spokane, WA}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=March 13, 1992|title=Marshals Know He's There But Leave Fugitive Alone|journal=[[The New York Times]]|format=print and online publication|page=A14|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/13/us/marshals-know-he-s-there-but-leave-fugitive-alone.html |access-date=February 8, 2017}}</ref>

Weaver was known to have an intense distrust of government. The erroneous Richins letter is believed to have compounded this sentiment and may have contributed to Weaver's reluctance to appear for trial. He was suspicious of what he thought were inconsistent messages from the government and his lawyer; he began to think there was a conspiracy against him.<ref name="Department of Justice"/> Weaver came to believe that he would not receive a fair trial if he were to appear in court. His distrust grew even further when Hofmeister erroneously told him that if he lost the trial, he would lose his land, essentially leaving Vicki homeless, and that the government would take away his children.{{r|Walter02|p=140}}

USMS officers made a series of attempts to have Weaver surrender peacefully, but he refused to leave his cabin. Weaver negotiated with U.S. Marshals Ron Evans, W. Warren Mays, and David Hunt through third parties from March 5 to October 12, 1991, when Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Howen directed that the negotiations cease.<ref>{{cite web |title=DOJR - VI. Chronology of events |url=https://famous-trials.com/rubyridge/1120-chronologyofevents |website=www.famous-trials.com |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref> The U.S. Attorney directed that all negotiations go through Hofmeister, but Weaver refused to talk with him. Marshals began preparing plans to capture Weaver to stand trial on the weapons charges and his failure to appear at the correct trial date.<ref name="famous-trials.com">{{cite web |title=DOJR - IV. Specific Issues Investigated (Part C) |url=https://famous-trials.com/rubyridge/1126-marshalsefforts |website=www.famous-trials.com |publisher=Department of Justice |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

Although marshals stopped the negotiations as ordered, they made other contact. On March 4, 1992, U.S. Marshals Ron Evans and Jack Cluff drove to the Weaver property and spoke with Weaver, posing as real-estate prospects.<ref name="famous-trials.com"/> At a March 27, 1992, meeting at USMS headquarters, Art Roderick code-named the operation "Northern Exposure".{{r|Walter02|p=151}} Surveillance teams were dispatched and cameras set up to record activity at Weaver's residence. Marshals observed that Weaver and his family responded to vehicles and other visitors by taking up armed positions around the cabin until the visitors were recognized.<ref>{{cite web |title=DOJR - IV. Specific Issues Investigated (Part C) |url=https://famous-trials.com/rubyridge/1126-marshalsefforts |website=www.famous-trials.com |publisher=Department of Justice |access-date=24 March 2024 |quote=The team also spent several days conducting surveillance of the Weaver house from the north and west ridges and looking for sites on which to mount surveillance cameras. During this process, they observed the Weavers responding to certain noises by running with rifles to a rock ledge that overlooked the driveway.}}</ref>