Protesters were arrested in June for blocking buses entering the South Gate at Bath Iron Works for a christening of an Arleigh Burke destroyer. Charges against those protesters have since been dismissed by the district attorney. (Darcie Moore / The Times Record)
BATH — The Sagadahoc District Attorney’s Office dismissed charges against the 22 protesters arrested for blocking traffic outside the June christening of the future USS Daniel Inouye, a Bath-built Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
The protesters were issued $150 tickets after initially being charged with the Class E crime of obstructing a public way, which carries a punishment of up to six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.
Mike Dumas, Assistant District Attorney, said the charges were dismissed because, “to prosecute that many people is a very resource-intensive process when we have a finite amount of resources.”
On June 22, 22 protesters from Maine Veterans for Peace and Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space were arrested for obstructing traffic and blocking the south gate into BIW’s facilities. Of the 22 arrested, nine refused to sign summonses during the booking process and were taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. The nine protesters refused to pay the $60 bail commissioner’s fee and were held in jail over the weekend as a result. They were released the following Monday after their arraignment and were scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 4.
Bruce Gagnon, coordinator for Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, said he refused to pay the commissioner’s fee because he, “wanted a jury trial,” but Dumas said he has never seen a traffic case such as obstructing a public way go before a jury.
The decision to dismiss charges against the protesters comes four months after District Attorney Natasha Irving made the same decision after a similar protest led to a different set of arrests in the spring. In May, 25 protesters were arrested for blocking traffic while protesting the christening of the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson, the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer made by BIW.
“Prosecuting these matters in court would necessitate a significant designation of resources and time on the part of office staff and the court, and give more undue publicity to those 25 individuals,” Irving wrote in a May news release. “In declining prosecution … we believe we are more effectively focusing our resources towards the prosecution of more serious criminal matters, consistent with our obligation to seek justice and the protection of public safety.”
Prior to that, nine people who were arrested while protesting the christening of the USS Thomas Hudner at Bath Iron Works in 2017, but were acquitted of trespassing charges 10 months later. Superior Court Justice Daniel Billings granted the acquittal, citing improper application of the law by Bath police and a lack of ordinances in the city.
Three of those arrested in 2017 were also charged in 2016 at a similar protest during the christening of the future USS Michael Monsoor.
Gagnon said he has been arrested three times for trespassing and blocking traffic while protesting at BIW christenings. Despite his three arrests, Gagnon said he plans to continue protesting BIW christenings.
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