State Police photo
NEWS RELEASE: MONTGOMERY CO, Va. – A Massachusetts man has been arrested on two charges related to his refusal to remove himself from the pipeline right-of-way in Montgomery County. Thursday afternoon (July 18, 2019) the Virginia State Police charged Evin Tyler Ugur, 22, of Worcester, MA with one misdemeanor count of Code of Virginia 18.2-404: (Obstructing the Right of Passage of Another), and one count of Code of Virginia 18.2-460: (Obstruction of Justice).
The Virginia State Police responded to Cove Hollow Road on Thursday, (July 18) at 12:50 p.m., for a report of a several protesters trespassing on the Mountain Valley Pipeline easement. The man, later identified as Ugur, had affixed himself to a device buried in the ground using a common protest device called a “sleeping dragon.” State police made repeated attempts requesting Ugur to voluntarily release himself from the device and offered medical service. He refused all requests.
Virginia State Police specially-trained personnel able to free Ugur from the device just after 5:00 p.m.; These Troopers are trained in the safe removal of “sleeping dragon” devices. Ugur was transported out of the remote location by the Virginia State Police Tactical Team to the staging area, where Ugur was evaluated by Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services.
Ugur was held on a $2500 secured bond by the Montgomery County Magistrate and has been prohibited from all pipeline property.
