THREE ARRESTED AT ILLEGAL PROTEST SITE ON THE ELLIOTT STATE FOREST IN COOS COUNTY (PHOTOS)
Posted: July 28th, 2011 5:59 PM
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Three people, all perched on aerial platforms in two trees, were taken into custody by Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers and Coos County (CCSO) deputies Thursday afternoon at the site of an illegal logging protest on the Elliott State Forest at the Elkhorn Ranch timber sale site in Coos County. The arrival of law enforcement officers followed Wednesday night's delivery of a letter from the Department of State Lands advising the protestors that their actions were illegal and they were to clear the area by noon on Thursday.
Twenty OSP troopers, detectives and ten CCSO deputies arrived with Oregon Department of Forestry personnel Thursday, July 28, 2011 at noon and provided the three persons on platforms in trees another opportunity to voluntarily come down and leave. If they refused, they were told they would be arrested for Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree as reflected in the letter delivered the previous night. Law enforcement and forestry officials did not find any other people they believed were in the area and part of the protest.
A backhoe was contracted by the Oregon Department of Forestry and transported to the site to repair roadway damage and clear debris positioned to block access to the protest site. Unknown persons dug a trench about 3 feet deep and two feet across the width of the roadway, damaging a culvert in the process. The debris left at three of the protestor-constructed road barricades consisted of downed trees, large rocks, dirt, and barb wire.
Troopers and deputies, working in cooperation with the Department of Forestry which manages the land under an agreement with Department of State Lands, took their time talking with the three perched protestors. CCSO deputies with special training in high angle rope rescues helped secure one of the platforms.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. all three subjects agreed to voluntarily come down and surrender. A boom platform vehicle was used by police to reach the aerial platforms which were between 70 and 90 feet in the air. The three subjects, two women and one man, all climbed higher into their respective trees before they surrendered.
The three subjects were interviewed by OSP detectives and then transported to Coos County Jail. They are identified as:
* GRACE WARNER PETTYGROVE, age 23, from Eugene, Oregon
* ROBERT PETERSMEYER OLIVER, age 18, from Seattle, Washington
* EMMALYNN LORRAINE GARRETT, age 26, from Bandon, Oregon
PETTYGROVE was alone on one platform. OLIVER and GARRETT were together on the other platform.
Jail photographs are not available for this release.
Lakeside Fire & Rescue personnel were staged near the site in case anyone needed medical care. A US Coast Guard helicopter was on standby to help if needed.
Questions regarding the timber sale and Elliott State Forest should be directed to Kevin Weeks, Department of Forestry Incident Information Officer, at (503) 508-4478.
Photograph Source: Oregon State Police
### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###
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