Y-12 protesters plead not guilty; trial set Oct. 9

Thursday, August 2, 2012

KNOXVILLE - Three anti-war activists today entered not guilty pleas to misdemeanor trespassing charges after the U.S. government submitted a revised complaint - known as an "information" - for their alleged intrusion into the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant last Saturday.

Their trial before Federal Magistrate Judge G. Clifford Shirley is set for Oct. 9, and Shirley set another hearing for Friday to determine whether or not the defendants can be released - and under what terms - before trial.

The three protesters - Sister Megan Rice, 82, Las Vegas; Michael Walli, 63, Washington, D.C., and Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, Duluth, Minn. - were arraigned earlier this week on the same charges, but the revised legal path - substituting an information complaint - eliminates the requirement for a preliminary hearing, during which evidence would be presented to support or invalidate the charges.

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