In early February 2016, militants LaVoy Finicum, Ammon Bundy, and others left the site of the occupation in Harney County in two trucks to drive to neighboring Grant County, where they expected to meet Palmer and speak at a public meeting. Just before crossing into Grant County, their motorcade was stopped by police. The occupants of one truck surrendered at the initial traffic stop. Meanwhile, in the other truck, Finicum repeatedly yelled to police that they were going to meet Palmer. Finicum then fled, speeding towards Grant County. A short way before the county line Finicum encountered a roadblock, where he was shot and killed. While this played out, Palmer was in uniform at the public meeting in Grant County, waiting to greet the militants. He did not know about the roadblock just over the county line because the FBI, and Oregon State Police considered Palmer to be a security leak. To keep Palmer in the dark about the operation, they intentionally set the roadblock in next door Harney County.[4]

Later that month, complaints were filed against Palmer by the chief of police for the city of John Day and also by the Grant County dispatcher.[3][5]

As of August 2016, Palmer was being investigated by the Oregon Department of Justice for allegedly tampering with public records. There were eleven pending complaints against