FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. (WFXR News) — Franklin County Sheriff officials have arrested two protestors who chained themselves to Mountain Valley Pipeline equipment Thursday morning.
According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after 7 a.m. on Thursday Mountain Valley Pipeline security officials contacted the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to report that two protestors had chained themselves to equipment.
Police identified 19-year-old Amory Zhou-Kourvo of Ann Arbor, MI, and 27-year-old Melissa Dubois of Worcester, MA as the protestors who attached themselves to the equipment.
The caller also reported that four to five people were also in the road protesting.
Officials stated that deputies, as well as officers from Virginia State Police, responded to the scene. They reportedly asked the protesters in the street to leave and get a demonstration permit.
The protestors chained to the equipment seemed tired, so deputies called in the Department of Public Safety to check them for any medical issues.
According to the Sheriff’s office, a specialized team with Virginia State Police that is trained to remove protesters from equipment safely responded to the scene and removed the protestors from the equipment.
Both protestors were removed from the equipment without being injured.
Officials said that Dubois and Zhou-Kourvo were arrested and charged with trespassing and tampering with a vehicle. Dubois was released on a $1,500 bond and Zhou-Kourvo is currently being held without bond.
