MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - An environmental activist who was convicted of burglary following an oil pipeline protest in northwestern Washington state has been granted a new trial.
The Skagit Valley Herald reported Thursday that 63-year-old Ken Ward was sentenced in June 2017 to community service after a jury found him guilty of second-degree burglary, stemming from a 2016 break-in at the Kinder Morgan facility to shut off the pipeline.
Ward had sought to argue that the criminal act was necessary to avoid harm, but a judge ruled against allowing climate scientists and civil disobedience experts to testify in his defense.
The state Court of Appeals ruled that a jury should have been allowed to decide whether the testimony of the experts was relevant.
___
Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.