PROSECUTOR won't say if will pursue manslaughter charges against FBI agent in Ruby Ridge case

<br>NAPLES, Idaho (AP) _ A county prosecutor refused to say Wednesday whether he will try an FBI sharpshooter for manslaughter in the slaying of a white separatist's wife during the 1992 standoff at

Wednesday, June 6th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NAPLES, Idaho (AP) _ A county prosecutor refused to say Wednesday whether he will try an FBI sharpshooter for manslaughter in the slaying of a white separatist's wife during the 1992 standoff at Ruby Ridge.

On Tuesday, a federal appeals court cleared the way for Idaho prosecutors to pursue charges against the FBI's Lon Horiuchi.

But Boundary County Prosecutor Brett Benson said a gag order prevents him from saying whether he intends to pursue the case his predecessor started.

Benson took office after ousting incumbent Denise Woodbury in the primary and winning 74 percent of the vote in November. Woodbury had pursued charges against Horiuchi despite numerous defeats in lower courts.

If there is a trial, it would probably be in Bonners Ferry, a town of fewer than 3,000 people about 30 miles from the Canadian border.

``We don't want it. We don't need it. I don't think it's justified,'' said Bonners Ferry resident Leslie Falcon. ``We just keep getting haunted.''

Idaho has been trying for years to shed its image as a haven for racists and anti-government zealots, such as the neo-Nazi group Aryan Nations.

The Ruby Ridge standoff began after federal agents tried to arrest Randy Weaver on charges of selling sawed-off shotguns. Horiuchi shot and killed Weaver's 42-year-old wife, Vicki.

Horiuchi has said he did not see the woman when he fired at a Weaver cohort.