BOISE, Idaho — This story ran originally in the Idaho Press.
An alert sent out to a far-right extremist group on Friday encouraged members to seek out the presiding judge in a local child welfare case at her residence.
People's Rights, a far-right extremist group in the Treasure Valley, received an audio alert Friday morning from group leaders, the Idaho Press reported. It encouraged members to protest at an Ada County judge's residence and doxx her, meaning posting her personal information online. The message was sent to the Idaho Press.
"She is known to take children from loving parents," the alert said. It claimed that she and sex offenders in her neighborhood were working together to take children away from their parents.
The alert also encouraged members to seek the whereabouts and conditions of the child, who has been placed in foster care, according Freedom Man, a far-right website that discusses the welfare case.
Ammon Bundy, an independent gubernatorial candidate and member of the People's Rights group, also encouraged people to protest at the home of the judge in a video released Friday morning.
Ada County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Emily Lowe said the child's health and safety is the court's first priority.
"Our office takes child protection cases very seriously. Justice can only be ensured if everybody's rights are protected," Lowe said. "This process protects the rights of all of the involved parties, and works to give the best possible outcome to both parents or guardians and children."
The judge is presiding over a local case regarding a 10-month-old boy who was taken away from his parents due to being severely malnourished.
After the child's mother refused to hand the child over to police, she was arrested. This interaction led the People's Rights group to begin protesting at St. Luke's Meridian Medical Center on the basis of "medical kidnapping" and "medical tyranny" while doxxing health care workers, government workers and others. The protests have continued this week at St. Luke's Boise, the Ada County Courthouse, and elsewhere.
On Thursday, St. Luke's Health System released a statement in regards to the harassment the hospital has faced in the past week.
"St. Luke’s team members have been, and continue to be, subjected to harassment and profanity-laced calls; in some cases, their personal information has been shared online, resulting in hateful language and very visible and alarming threats on social media," the release said.
Bundy was joined by other protesters at St. Luke's Meridian on March 12. The group was protesting the child's admission to the hospital. Bundy was arrested on trespassing charges after refusing to leave hospital grounds. Three others were arrested in relation to the protest.
The group was seen with the child's mother on Wednesday at the Ada County Courthouse after a hearing that was presided over by the aforementioned judge.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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