FRESNO, Calif. (KMPH) -
It's not cheap to arrest occupy Fresno protesters.
92 arrests in two months, and counting.
The latest figures show Fresno County has spent more than $100,000 over the last two months, dealing with "Occupy Fresno", and even more taxpayer money will be spent.
A breakdown of costs spent on the protests since it began last month shows the County's public works and general services departments spent more than $5,000.
The sheriff's department has spent more than $102,000.
And the county's legal department has spent nearly $10,000 so far.
The sheriff's department's costs include $63,000 in overtime for deputies, and $17,000 for jail booking fees.
"The protesters didn't ask for the sheriff's to come out and spend $100,000. The protesters asked to be democratic," said Joseph hunter, who has been arrested eight times in the last two weeks.
Once his day in court comes, he could face thousands of dollars in fines, and/or months of jail time.
He says the First Amendment gives him the right to stay in the park at all hours - and he's willing to get arrested again.
When asked if he thought the arrests amounts to taxpayer money down the drain, he replied, "Yeah it really is, I think we could've avoided those costs had the county come at us with a compromise, or talked with us on how we can handle things instead of coming out and spending all that money with a show of force."
"But if you compromise today on this group, are you going to compromise tomorrow on another group? And frankly a courthouse park is not provided for camping. It's not a playground, it's not a campground, it is a courthouse park where people expect to do business," said legal analyst David Mugridge.
Now the battle is headed to federal court, where a group of lawyers has filed a claim on behalf of the protesters to stop the arrests.
"There's no really fair chance that the protesters are going to convince anyone that the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States includes the right to violate restrictions that are already in place," said Mugridge.
Fresno County has hired retired federal judge, Oliver Wanger, as the people's trial lawyer.
Mugridge says that shows the county won't compromise, and wants victory over the protesters.
"Even without Wanger being involved in it, they didn't have much of a chance. With Wanger involved in it now, they have even less of a chance," said Mugridge.
A hearing in federal court is scheduled for mid-December.
Of course hearing the case in federal court is not free.
Mugridge says the county could spend thousands of dollars on court fees, attorney fees, and deputies during the legal process.
