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Y-12 protesters plead not guilty to new charge, face more jail time

Posted at 10:46 am August 9, 2012
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Megan Rice and Michael R. Walli

Anti-nuclear weapons activists Megan Rice, left, and Michael R. Walli leave U.S. District Court in Knoxville after pleading not guilty Thursday morning to three counts of trespassing, property depredation, and property destruction at the Y-12 National Security Complex. A third protester, Greg Boertje-Obed, remains jailed in Blount County.

Note: This story was last updated at 1:51 a.m. Aug. 10.

KNOXVILLE—A new felony property depredation charge and the possibility of more jail time have been added to two earlier charges filed against three anti-nuclear weapons activists arrested in July near a uranium storage building at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The defendants—Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael R. Walli—are accused of sneaking into Y-12 before dawn July 28, cutting through three fences, and setting off alarms before spraying paint and splashing blood on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where bomb-grade uranium is stored.

The new charge, contained in a three-count grand jury indictment filed Tuesday, carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The three activists pleaded not guilty to all three counts during a Thursday morning arraignment in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Police and Fire, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 Security Breach Tagged With: B&W Y-12, Greg Boertje-Obed, Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, Megan Rice, Michael R. Wali, security breach, Transform Now Plowshares, U.S. District Court, Y-12 National Security Complex

Y-12 protesters face new felony charges, judge releases two

Posted at 8:52 pm August 3, 2012
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Note: This story was last updated at 1:14 p.m. Aug. 4.

KNOXVILLE—New felony property destruction charges were filed Friday against three anti-nuclear weapons activists who allegedly sneaked into the Y-12 National Security Complex on Saturday, and U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley agreed to release two of the defendants.

The new charges carry stiffer penalties than the previously filed misdemeanor trespassing charges, including up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The new charges were filed against Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael R. Walli, who have been detained at the Blount County Corrections Facility after being arrested at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday in the high-security Protected Area on the west end of Y-12.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Police and Fire, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 Security Breach Tagged With: Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, Michael R. Walli, protesters, security breach, Transform Now Plowshares, trespassing, U.S. District Court, Y-12 National Security Complex

Y-12 protesters allegedly enter high-security area, spray paint, splash blood

Posted at 5:35 pm July 28, 2012
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Transform Now Plowshares

Three activists opposed to nuclear weapons pose with banners before their reported arrests on Saturday. From left to right, the three are Michael R. Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed. (Submitted photo)

Note: This story was last updated at 6:40 p.m. July 29.

Three Plowshares protesters who oppose nuclear weapons allegedly sneaked through four fences at the Y-12 National Security Complex before dawn Saturday and spray-painted messages and splashed human blood on the walls of a uranium storage building before they were detained by security guards, an activist said.

The three were identified by supporters as Michael R. Walli, 63, of Washington, D.C.; Megan Rice, 82, of New York; and Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, of Duluth, Minn.

They are now in the Blount County Corrections Facility, said Ellen Barfield, of Baltimore, Md., who said she is a longtime anti-war and anti-nuclear weapons activist and friend of the three detainees.

Federal spokesman Steven Wyatt wasn’t able to confirm the identity of those arrested, but he said they entered a high-security area on the west end of Y-12—the Protected Area—at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday, spray-painted a building there, and splashed a substance that appeared to be like blood on a wall.

It could be the first security breach of that area, Wyatt said.

“I don’t ever recall this happening before at Y-12,” he said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Police and Fire, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 Security Breach Tagged With: Greg Boertje-Obed, Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, Megan Rice, Michael R. Walli, nuclear weapons, Plowshares, protest, security breach, Transform Now Plowshares, Y-12 National Security Complex

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