ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - Police in Virginia have removed one of two protestors from tree stands that have been blocking construction of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline.
The Roanoke Times reports that a woman from Vermont was extracted Tuesday with the help of a towering construction crane.
Efforts to remove a second tree-sitter were continuing in eastern Montgomery County, which is southeast of Roanoke.
The tree stands are about 50 feet from the ground. The crane brought a bucket with two state police officers to within arm’s reach of one of the stands.
Capt. Brian Wright of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said the tree-sitter was locked to a device called a “sleeping dragon.” The officers cut through the metal lockbox before lowering the woman to the ground.
Authorities identified her as Claire Marian Fiocco, 23, from Dorset, Vermont. She was charged with interfering with the property rights of of the developer of the natural gas pipeline.
The sheriff’s office said she was being held without bail Tuesday night. It’s unclear if Fiocco has hired an attorney.
Since 2018, protesters have blocked construction workers from felling the last remaining trees along pipeline’s 300-mile route through West Virginia and Virginia.
A judge ordered their removal in November and authorized a forced extraction if they refused to come down. Police made their move on Tuesday after months of planning.
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