UPDATED NEWS RELEASE: The Roanoke County Police Department safely extricated two of the three individuals this afternoon and took them into custody. Police are working to remove the third individual. Two photos are attached.
Deborah Kushner, 66, of Schuyler, VA
Obstruction of Justice
Obstructing free passage of others
Stopping on Highway
PREVIOUS: Roanoke County Police say they plan to remove three Mountain Valley Pipeline protesters who are blocking not only pipeline work but a public roadway. The three are in, on and alongside a car that is parked across Honeysuckle Road in the Bent Mountain area. Police say they will face charges once removed.
NEWS RELEASE: At approximately 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, Roanoke County Police was notified that three individuals were locked to a car with approximately 15 additional supporters blocking Honeysuckle Road, in protest of the Mountain Valley Pipeline project. Honeysuckle Road is a public roadway and as such, cannot be blocked. It also poses a public safety issue in the event of an emergency. A Police Department extrication team will attempt to remove the individuals in a safe manner with their health and safety in mind. Once removed, they may face charges. We recognize that the Mountain Valley Pipeline project has been for some time a very controversial issue for our community. The individuals are free to exercise their First Amendment rights, and have done so in a peaceful manner. The Roanoke County Police Department is not taking sides in this matter. They will uphold the law as they are required to do.
PREVIOUS: The group Appalachians Against Pipelines says three people have locked themselves to a broken down car as a way to block access to a Mountain Valley Pipeline easement, two access roads, and a work yard in Bent Mountain. The group says one person is locked inside the vehicle, another is sitting on a rocking chair on the trunk, and a third is sitting in a rocking chair next to the vehicle with an arm locked to the side of it.
