Friday Feb 6, 2015.
By AD CRABLE | Staff Writer
Eight protesters charged with defiant trespass for blocking a gas pipeline exploratory drilling crew on PPL property each pleaded guilty Thursday to a lesser charge of summary trespass. Each was fined $100.
The guilty pleas followed the group’s rejection of an offer from PPL and Chris Sarno, an assistant district attorney, to drop the defiant trespassing charges in exchange for the protesters stating in writing they would not trespass on private PPL property again.
The eight refused, according to their attorney, Tom Houghton, and the protesters, flanked by about 20 supporters, said afterward they would continue civil disobedience to protect their communities from the proposed Atlantic Sunrise pipeline.
The eight protesters, who call themselves the “Conestoga Land Protectors,” are Dr. Nancy Jeffries, Conestoga; Mark Clatterbuck, Martic Township; Nick Martin, Willow Street; Daniele Spagnolo, Lancaster; Jono Droege, West Hempfield Township; Angela Nitchman, Lancaster; Ben Weiss, Lancaster; and Chief Carlos Whitewolf Rivera, Lancaster.
In the end, the defiant trespassing charges were dropped to summary trespass, and the protesters entered a district courtroom one by one to sign the guilty pleas. Two wore “No pipeline” buttons.
In addition to the fine of $100, each protester was ordered to pay court costs of $153.
The trespassing charges could have carried a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $300 fine for each protester.
Houghton, a Chester County attorney, made opposition to the pipeline a centerpiece of his failed campaign as a Democrat against incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts.
After the proceeding, the protesters and supporters vowed to “stand up as many times, and for as long as it takes, to stop this project,” said Jeffries, speaking for the protesters.
“Because our elected officials will not act to protect our community, homes and families, we instead are nonviolently acting to protect the places and people that we love. So, yes, we will continue to act in protection of our communities, alongside the scores of other Lancastrians who stand strongly opposed to this industrial invasion.”
The group then departed in a parade of cars to a Williams Partners office in the Greenfield Industrial Park. No one was apparently inside the office so the group left a message and a shoo-fly pie, meant to represent Lancaster County’s unique heritage and as a farewell present, said Nick Martin, one of the protesters.
The message said, in part, “We are here to inform you criminal charges will not deter us from protecting our county. Our communities reject your pipeline outright, with the totality of our collective will, and we will intervene at every step of the way to stop it from occurring.
“This is only the beginning. We will not let your pipeline ruin the fertile farmland that generations of Lancastrians have worked for a living.”
RELATED: Complete Lancaster County Pipeline Coverage
The eight protesters were among about 40 people who showed up on Jan. 5 to confront a crew drilling core samples for the pipeline that would cross 35 miles of Lancaster County.
The protesters have said the crew was digging near a state-registered Native American site and that the crew refused on request to verify that they had permission from PPL. The PPL property was posted with No Trespassing signs.
After a call to PPL, Southern Regional Police asked the protesters to leave. Eight refused to and linked arms in front of a drilling machine before being arrested without incident.
In response to today’s proceedings, Williams Partners spokesman Chris Stockton issued this statement: “We understand and are sensitive to the concerns that have been expressed. Our goal is to ensure our survey and geotechnical bore work is conducted safely so that we can make informed routing decisions that avoid sensitive cultural resource impacts.”
Following their arrest, the eight protesters were free on $1,000 unsecured bail.
A fund drive was created to pay the protesters’ legal fees. Houghton represented seven of the protesters for a reduced price.
PPL said previously that the utility did not know the eight would be arrested and later asked Southern Regional Police to drop the charges. A PPL spokesman said police advised PPL to make the request to District Judge Joshua Keller near Millersville at today’s hearing.
Martic SOUL 