Oil pipeline protester convicted of burglary in Washington state
Source: Reuters
U.S. | Wed Jun 7, 2017 | 6:34pm EDT
Oil pipeline protester convicted of burglary in Washington state
By Dan Whitcomb
A climate-change activist who disrupted the flow of millions of barrels of crude oil into the United States as part of a coordinated protest of global warming was found guilty of burglary in Washington state on Wednesday.
But a Skagit County Superior Court jury deadlocked on a second charge of sabotage against Kenneth Ward, a co-founder of the Climate Disobedience Center.
"It's a pretty good outcome, actually," Ward, 60, told Reuters in an interview shortly after the verdict was read. Still, he vowed to appeal his conviction on the grounds that the judge did not allow him to mount a so-called "necessity" defense - that the protest was necessary to save the environment.
Ward said jurors told him following the verdict that they struggled with the case because they supported his position on climate change but could not find legal grounds to acquit him.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-washington-pipeline-trial-idUSKBN18Y2ZL
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