5 indicted in Bangor nuke zone security breach
SEATTLE - A federal grand jury has indicted five anti-war protesters on charges that they knowingly violated a high-security area of the Naval Base Kitsap's Bangor complex where weapons are stored for nuclear missile submarines.
The five were indicted for conspiracy, trespass, destruction of property on a naval installation, and depredation of government property, said Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle.
They were identified as Stephen M. Kelly, 60, of Oakland, Calif.; Susan S. Crane, 65, of Baltimore, Md.; William J. Bichsel, 81, of Tacoma; Anne Montgomery, 83, of New York City; and Lynne T. Greenwald, 60, of Bremerton.
The five are scheduled to be charged later this month in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. They face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted on all charges.
According to the indictment, the group used bolt cutters to cut holes in three chain link fences in order to enter the Main Limited Area at Naval Base Kitsap’s Bangor complex in November 2009.
The protesters entered the secure area where they were apprehended and ultimately arrested by armed military personnel, Langlie said.
The five said at the time that they broke into the base to protest against nuclear weapons stored there. They say they wandered around the base for four hours before they were arrested.
"These weapons can wipe out everything," said Crane, one of the protestors arrested. "Eventually we begin to realize that disarmament has to happen by the people."
The fivesome brought hammers with them to bang on bunkers where weapons are stored. And they brought baby bottles filled with their own blood "because children are the most killed in war," Crane said.
"All citizens are free to disagree with their government. But they are not free to destroy property or risk the safety of others," countered U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.
"These defendants entered a naval installation during a time of war, cutting through three fences into a clearly marked prohibited zone," she added. "They endangered themselves and prompted military personnel, who are duty bound to guard the area, to quickly make a decision over the use of force. These defendants quite literally crossed the line and must be held accountable."
The five were indicted for conspiracy, trespass, destruction of property on a naval installation, and depredation of government property, said Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle.
They were identified as Stephen M. Kelly, 60, of Oakland, Calif.; Susan S. Crane, 65, of Baltimore, Md.; William J. Bichsel, 81, of Tacoma; Anne Montgomery, 83, of New York City; and Lynne T. Greenwald, 60, of Bremerton.
The five are scheduled to be charged later this month in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. They face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted on all charges.
According to the indictment, the group used bolt cutters to cut holes in three chain link fences in order to enter the Main Limited Area at Naval Base Kitsap’s Bangor complex in November 2009.
The protesters entered the secure area where they were apprehended and ultimately arrested by armed military personnel, Langlie said.
The five said at the time that they broke into the base to protest against nuclear weapons stored there. They say they wandered around the base for four hours before they were arrested.
"These weapons can wipe out everything," said Crane, one of the protestors arrested. "Eventually we begin to realize that disarmament has to happen by the people."
The fivesome brought hammers with them to bang on bunkers where weapons are stored. And they brought baby bottles filled with their own blood "because children are the most killed in war," Crane said.
"All citizens are free to disagree with their government. But they are not free to destroy property or risk the safety of others," countered U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.
"These defendants entered a naval installation during a time of war, cutting through three fences into a clearly marked prohibited zone," she added. "They endangered themselves and prompted military personnel, who are duty bound to guard the area, to quickly make a decision over the use of force. These defendants quite literally crossed the line and must be held accountable."