• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

Federal judge orders Y-12 protesters jailed until September sentencing

Posted at 6:22 pm May 10, 2013
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Y-12 Plowshares Protesters

Pictured above are the three anti-nuclear weapons protesters who broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex and vandalized a uranium storage building on July 28. From left, they are Michael Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed.

The three protesters who broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex in July and vandalized a uranium storage building must stay in jail until they are sentenced Sept. 23, a federal judge said Friday.

The three protesters—Greg Boertje-Obed, 57; Megan Rice, 83; and Michael Walli, 64—had sought to be released until their sentencing hearings this fall. They each face up to 30 years in prison.

But U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar denied that request in a four-page order filed late Friday afternoon.

Under federal law, he said, there is a strong presumption in favor of detention in this case, and the defendants don’t meet the conditions that would allow them to rebut that presumption. To be freed, they would have to show by “clear and convincing evidence” that they aren’t likely to flee or pose a danger, and they would have to demonstrate that their motions for acquittal will be granted or that the prosecution won’t recommend prison sentences.

But federal prosecutors have said they plan to recommend a prison sentence, and the U.S. District Court in Knoxville previously denied an acquittal motion on one of the charges, willful destruction of government property, Thapar said. That charge by itself carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Thapar said Boertje-Obed, Rice, and Walli also haven’t shown that there are exceptional circumstances that would warrant their release.

The three protesters were convicted in federal court on Wednesday of willful destruction of government property and injuring national defense premises with the intent to interfere with the national defense. A jury found them guilty on both counts after 2.5 hours of deliberation at the end of a two-day trial.

The three defendants, all anti-nuclear weapons activists, acknowledged breaking into Y-12 before dawn on July 28, cutting through three fences in a high-security Protected Area, and splashing human blood and spray-painting slogans on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where most of the nation’s bomb-grade uranium is stored. They called their intrusion, or “action,” Transform Now Plowshares. They said they were peaceful protesters who were motivated by religion and on a mission to symbolically disarm Y-12, which works on components for every nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal.

Government prosecutors, however, argued that the unprecedented security breach caused a significant disruption, delaying a secret shipment scheduled to arrive at Y-12 the day of the intrusion and forcing a two-week shutdown in nuclear operations at the 811-acre plant. The breach damaged Y-12′s credibility, and it cost $8,532 to repair fences and pressure wash and paint damaged walls and barricades, the prosecution and its witnesses said.

Paul Magno, a member of a Washington, D.C., Plowshares support group who was at the trial this week along with dozens of other supporters and activists, called the judge’s decision on Friday “very disappointing but not a terrible surprise.

“Peacemakers under lock and key; nuclear terror has carte blanche,” Magno said. “What a mixed-up ‘justice’ system we have.”

Contacted earlier Friday, Sharry Dedman-Beard, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tennessee’s Eastern District, said her office will not be issuing any statements on the case until after the three defendants are sentenced.

“They are all currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and will be placed by them as appropriate,” Dedman-Beard said.

Boertje-Obed, Rice, and Walli were listed as inmates in the Knox County jail on Friday evening.

Note: This story was last updated at 7:52 p.m.

Filed Under: Federal, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex, Y-12 Security Breach Tagged With: Amul R. Thapar, anti-nuclear weapons activists, damage, detention, disruption, Greg Boertje-Obed, Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, Megan Rice, Michael Walli, Paul Magno, security breach, sentencing, sentencing hearing, Sharry Dedman-Beard, Transform Now Plowshares, trial, U.S. Attorneys' Office, U.S. District Court, Y-12 protesters

Advertisements

 



Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Some of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require significant time to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

Comments

  1. Carol Green says

    May 11, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    While we continue to press on with plans to build a “new & improved” bomb plant (the Uranium Processing Facility – UPF), the peace activists’ reminder of the U.S. Constitution’s recognition of the supremacy of treaties (Article VI) was not allowed in federal court. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) went into force in 1970 to press all countries to build down, not up. Does it have to take another use of nukes to wake us up? How vulnerable to an “accidental” event we are living at Ground Zero! It’ll take many more prayers in action to Transform as prophet Isaiah called for.

    Reply
    • Denny Phillips says

      May 11, 2013 at 3:48 pm

      The protesters have already been granted their lives by judicious guards. They should issue a letter of thanks to the guards on duty for sparing them.

      Reply
  2. Ray says

    May 19, 2013 at 5:46 pm

    The protesters are now paying part of the price for their Civil Disobedience. The guards understood immediately that they posed no threat, although the one who had previous experience with nuclear protesters was later sanctioned for not taking somewhat harsher security measures with them. Apparently, his understanding of and trust in their motives was well-founded; They didn’t try to attack anyone, resist arrest, or escape. They wanted to make, and are making, a statement. One that each of us is free to agree with or not to the degree that our beliefs and conscience dictate.

    What would make sense here? Allow them to state their arguments, then prosecute them for their crimes–damage to fences and buildings, trespassing. Give them the average of similar sentences for similar crimes. Ask them to perform the repairs themselves or to pay for the repairs. Their conscience may require them to not do that, and then they may be fined, have wages or pensions garnisheed, or jailed as needed to recuperate reasonable costs.

    The inflation of charges to create [in name only] terrorists of peaceful activists is unfortunate, serves only the purpose of trying to dissuade and deter criticisms of government policies, and ultimately is costly to all of us. According to the Congressional Research Service, the cost per person in federal jail “increased …to $26,094 in FY2011.” I’m sure it hasn’t gone down from there. You and I will be paying roughly $78K a year to keep these three nonviolent offenders in jail, for how long?
    Somehow it seems to me a miscarriage of justice, and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars, at least some of which are mine.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Government News

Anderson County Courthouse

Anderson County government offices closed Monday, Tuesday

Anderson County government offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday, July 3-4, to observe Independence Day. The offices will re-open at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, July 5, a press release said. The Anderson County … [Read More...]

Fireworks show, music on July 4

Oak Ridge's annual fireworks show is scheduled to being at dark Tuesday, around 9:45 p.m. on Independence Day, July 4. There will be music before the show. The celebration, which is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, … [Read More...]

Library announces check-out changes

Ten days after celebrating renovations, the Oak Ridge Public Library has announced changes to its check-out procedures and policies that take effect on Saturday, July 1. Among the changes: The City of Oak Ridge … [Read More...]

USA Cycling Time Trial National Championships on Thursday

Oak Ridge Traffic Impacts Oak Ridge will host its fifth annual USA Cycling Individual Time Trial National Championships on Thursday, June 22. Elite cyclists nationwide will converge on the city, showcasing their skill … [Read More...]

Oak Ridgers celebrate library renovations

A standing-room-only crowd attended the grand re-opening celebration of renovations to the East Wing of the Oak Ridge Public Library on Tuesday. The renovations include a brand-new Children’s Room and bathrooms that … [Read More...]

More Government

More Police and Fire News

ORPD investigating fatal crash on South Illinois

The Oak Ridge Police Department is investigating a fatal crash on South Illinois Avenue that happened shortly before midnight Friday. In a press release, the City of Oak Ridge said a vehicle traveling south on South … [Read More...]

County sees increase in infant deaths due to unsafe sleeping practices

Anderson County Emergency Medical Services, County Mayor Terry Frank, and the chief medical examiner for both Knox and Anderson Counties are all urging the community—particularly parents and grandparents of children … [Read More...]

Briceville Fire Department celebrates new station

The Briceville Volunteer Fire Department celebrated its new fire station with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday. The ceremony included local residents and federal, state, and county officials, a press release … [Read More...]

Officers searching for suspect in fatal shooting

Officers are searching in Virginia for a suspect in a fatal shooting in Anderson County on Tuesday. The shooting was reported on Moores Gap Road in Heiskell, east of Clinton near Interstate 75, according to the … [Read More...]

DOE conducting controlled burns on Oak Ridge Reservation

The U.S. Department of Energy is conducting controlled burns of grassland areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation through mid-April, weather permitting. People may see smoke from this activity. However, smoke in Oak Ridge … [Read More...]

More Police and Fire

More U.S. Department of Energy News

SNS on hiatus for upgrade

The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—already the world’s most powerful accelerator-based neutron source—will be on a planned hiatus through June 2024 as crews work to upgrade the … [Read More...]

Sholl named interim executive director of UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute

David Sholl, director of the Transformational Decarbonization Initiative at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been appointed interim executive director of the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute. His … [Read More...]

ORNL scientist to lead project studying permafrost thaw, climate processes in Alaska

Submitted Colleen Iversen—ecosystem ecologist, group leader, and distinguished staff scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—has been named director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Next-Generation Ecosystem … [Read More...]

DOE asks for public comment about ETTP groundwater decision

The U.S. Department of Energy has asked for public comment about a proposed plan to reduce groundwater contamination in the main plant area of East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site in west Oak … [Read More...]

Ken Tarcza joins ORAU as chief of staff

Ken Tarcza has joined Oak Ridge Associated Universities as chief of staff. Tarcza comes to ORAU after an impressive military and federal career, a press release said. A graduate of West Point, Tarcza spent his military … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • ORPD investigating fatal crash on South Illinois
  • SNS on hiatus for upgrade
  • County sees increase in infant deaths due to unsafe sleeping practices
  • ASAP of Anderson welcomes new executive director
  • Briceville Fire Department celebrates new station
  • Officers searching for suspect in fatal shooting
  • Oak Ridge to host movie premiere of ‘Oppenheimer’
  • Oak Ridge Schools to host panel discussion, documentary screening for ‘Oppenheimer’
  • Sam Bush to headline Summer Sessions concert
  • Anderson County government offices closed Monday, Tuesday

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today