Line 3 Protestors Arrested for Actions at Recent Blockades

Two Line 3 oil pipeline protestors who locked themselves to a flipped-over vehicle and blocked a road in St. Louis County Wednesday were arrested for their actions. The road was used by workers to access the Line 3 pipeline project.

According to a release from the Northern Lights Task Force, deputies arrested 28-year-old Danny LeClaire of the state of Washington and 27-year-old Micah Carpenter who is from the state of Wyoming. Authorities had to use special tools to cut them out of the devices they were locked in because the two refused dispersal orders. Both were taken into custody without injury and booked for obstructing the legal process, unlawful assembly, and blocking traffic. According to the press release, the road itself sustained no serious damage except for a small amount of oil that spilled from the overturned car.

Another person was arrested at a different location along Line 3 Wednesday. According to a separate press release from the Northern Lights Task Force, Rachel Rose of Minneapolis was charged with several misdemeanors Thursday for sitting nearly 40 feet in the air on a bi-pod that blocked a Line 3 entry road in Aitkin County. An extraction team was called to the scene and ultimately was able to safely remove rose and lower her to the ground.

Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner says that the protests at two locations on the same construction spread Wednesday had little effect on the project. She says simultaneous work continued across the 337-mile route at multiple construction sites.