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By Associated Press Watch the story TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - A federal jury Thursday found a woman guilty of two counts of arson for being the lookout in the 2001 burning of the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture by members of the radical Earth Liberation Front.The judge declared the jury deadlocked on three other counts against Briana Waters, including the most significant count, using a destructive device during a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison.First Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Bartlett said his office would decide within a week whether to retry her on the deadlocked counts.For the arson convictions, Waters, 32, faces 5 to 20 years in prison. Sentencing was set for May 30. She closed her eyes, bowed her head and cried as the verdict was announced."Obviously we are thrilled with the verdict," Bartlett said. "It was a very long investigation, and we are very happy that Ms. Waters and all the people involved in the UW arson have been held accountable."The fire, which destroyed the plant research center, was one of at least 17 fires set by radical activists with the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front from 1996 to 2001.Waters maintained her innocence on the stand, despite the testimony of two women convicted in the fire and records suggesting she obtained a rental car used in the crime.Her lawyer, Robert Bloom, insisted during closing arguments that the women, Lacey Phillabaum and Jennifer Kolar, lied on the witness stand to frame her and win lighter sentences."I am really really heartbroken here. I know this woman," he said. "I know she didn't commit this crime. We just have to proceed from here."Bartlett argued that the women had no reason to identify Waters falsely.The prosecutor portrayed Waters as an environmentally concerned student at The Evergreen State College in Olympia who became convinced that "direct action" was the best way to protect the Earth and change corporate behavior. In 1998, when she was a senior, The New York Times Magazine quoted her as saying she supported politically motivated arsons as long as no one got hurt.She was a close friend of William Rodgers, a leader of the arsonist cell who committed suicide after being arrested in the UW fire.Waters first came to the attention of investigators in early 2006, when Kolar said she had found documents at her home with Waters' name and remembered that Waters served as a lookout during the arson. In earlier FBI interviews, Kolar did not mention her - something Bloom seized on in arguing that Kolar was lying.In all, more than a dozen people were arrested in connection with the arsons around the West. Waters was the only one who went to trial rather than plead guilty.The university rebuilt the horticulture center at a cost of $7 million. It was targeted because the ELF activists mistakenly believed researchers there were genetically engineering poplar trees.The radical group is suspected in a fire that scorched three model homes in a Seattle suburb earlier this week. A spray-painted sheet found at the scene of the fires bore the initials of the group, and appeared to protest claims the luxury homes were environmentally friendly.
Evergreen riot case06:10 PM PST on Thursday, March 6, 2008By DREW MIKKELSEN / KING 5 News Video: Protesters pack courtroom in support of rioters Larger screen E-mail this clip OLYMPIA, Wash. - Protesters packed a courtroom Thursday to support five suspects accused of destroying a squad car in a riot at Evergreen State College. The suspects appeared before a judge after spending the night in jail. They're being called the "Evergreen Five." Four are students at the college, where the riot occurred January 15. Detectives say they each played a role in destroying a police patrol car after a hip-hop concert. Thursday's protesters call the arrests of the Evergreen Five a joke. They blame police for the riot. "There are people who want members of their community to come home so we can take care of each other," said a student named Kateeo. "A good community takes care of eachother and that's what we want to do." Peter Sloan, the only suspect who did not attend Evergreen, allegedly spray-painted the cop car. He's being represented by his father, attorney Joseph Sloan. Sloan is held on $5,000 bail because he has prior arrests for graffiti. The four students are being released without bail because they do not have criminal histories. Chase Hill is accused of taking out the patrol car's back seat and putting it in his dorm room. Jake Silberman was on the baseball team, and both women arrested - Monica Ragan and Nina Hinton - were on the school's soccer team. They're all accused of repeatedly kicking the car. Five people have been charged with felonies in connection with the riot at Evergreen State College in Olympia in Feb., 2008.Following the court appearances Thursday, dozens of protesters - mostly Evergreen students - marched next door to the county jail. While a lot of students are upset about the arrests, some are embarrassed and think those who took part in the riot deserve to be held accountable. The Thurston County Sheriff says his deputies plan on arresting "numerous" more people in the case.
Check DU for Bug Doc Mike C's lamenting this.
