Protesters Chain Themselves to Construction Equipment
Flagstaff AZ- Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the area of Snowbowl Road and Highway 180 after receiving a report about a number of individuals who had chained themselves to heavy construction equipment.
At approximately 5:15 a.m. on Thursday, June 16, the Northern Arizona Regional 911 Reception Center received a call from an on duty Arizona Snowbowl Security officer about two protesters who were chaining themselves to a large excavator off of the Snowbowl Road in the area of the water pipeline construction. As the first responding deputy turned off of U.S. Highway 180 onto Snowbowl Road he observed a group of eight individuals wearing white bio hazard suits blocking the road. The deputy requested the people to get off of the road and eventually they complied. He attempted to drive north on Snowbowl Road and found that it was blocked in several locations by ropes and caution tape that was strung the entire width of the road preventing passage.
The deputy drove to an area that is closed for construction between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. and observed two individuals who chained and locked themselves to a large piece of construction equipment. In the same area, inside deep trenches, two groups of two people each chained themselves together at the neck with large bicycle locks. All six subjects were chanting slogans regarding the environment, the Sacred Mountain , and anti Snowbowl slogans. A seventh person was walking from trespasser to trespasser in the closed area.
Uniformed deputies personally advised each trespasser of the status of the property they were on and requested them to voluntarily disengage the locking devices. Although the individuals were nonviolent, they refused to obey the deputies’ requests and were described as being uncooperative. In an attempt to avoid having Summit Firefighters cut through the chains to free the individuals, deputies offered them the option of voluntarily complying by disengaging the locking devices. In the event that the protesters voluntarily released themselves, the deputies were prepared to issue them a citation for Third Degree Trespass and release them on a promise to appear in court at later date.
The protesters refused to comply with the deputies lawful request and Summit Firefighters had to cut the chains and locking devices off of each person. Medical personnel from Guardian Ambulance were at the scene in the event of an accident and to access each individual for symptoms of heat exposure. Of the individuals who were chained together or to construction equipment, two were juvenile females.
As one juvenile was being freed she began to pass out and was immediately accessed by medics and was subsequently transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for excessive heat exposure.
One juvenile was arrested and transported to the Juvenile Detention Center. Five adults were arrested and transported to the Coconino County Detention Facility. The woman who was unchained in the closed area was issued a citation for third Degree Trespass and released. Names and charges are listed below:
16 year-old female, Flagstaff, One count of 3rd Degree Trespass
16 year-old female, Flagstaff, One count of 3rd Degree Trespass
Nadia Del Callejo, 27, Flagstaff, One count of 3rd Degree Trespass, One count Contributing to Delinquency of Minor
Kristopher Barney, 22, Flagstaff, One count of 3rd Degree Trespass
Evan Hawbaker, 22, Flagstaff, One count of 3rd Degree Trespass
Hailey Sherwood, 20, Flagstaff, One count of 3rd Degree Trespass, One count Contributing to Delinquency, One Count of Endangerment
Elizabeth Lavely, 28, Colorado, One count of 3rd Degree Trespass (Cite and Release)
The individuals who were protesting at the bottom of the Snowbowl Road complied with the deputies requests to clear the roadway. They were not charged and were allowed to continue their lawful protest.
Agencies involved in this response include the above mentioned departments as well as the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Flagstaff Police Department, United States Forest Service, Arizona Snowbowl Security and the FBI. This incident remains under investigation and additional information will follow as it becomes available.
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