The 84-year-old nun, Sister Megan Rice, who was charged with breaching security during a peaceful protest at nuclear facility Y-12 has been sentenced to 2 years and 11 months in prison, according to CNN.
She and two accomplices are guilty of breaking into the facility to protest. The three cut through a chain-link fence, walked a mile, then cut through three more.
They carried signs and smeared human blood on the walls, and were finally caught by security hours later in what resulted in a most embarrassing situation for the Y-12 facility in Oakridge, Tennessee.
“They’re at peace about this. They’re peacemakers, and they knew that they risked this,” Joe Quigley, attorney for one of the defendants, said after their trial in May, during which they were found guilty. “Nobody is happy to go jail, but they understand.”
Sister Rice’s accomplices, Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, and Michael Walli, 63, each received a sentence of 5 years and 2 months.
Boertje-Obed’s wife, Michele Naar-Obed, said of the verdict, “I came here with the feeling that anything below the (recommended sentencing) guidelines was a win because it made this judge really think and not just consult to the letter of the law, which is what the prosecutor wanted. He had to think about the spirit of the law.”
“And he thought about it, obviously. It was reflected in what he considered rather large downward departures or downward variances. And maybe they are. I don’t know. I mean in terms of how Greg and I will get through it, it wouldn’t have mattered how long it was. We will get through it. But I’m just really grateful that this judge struggled with the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law. I think that’s a win.”
After the now-famous incident, Congress held a series of hearings which resulted in a number of security improvements including management changes and new independent security reviews.
Image via YouTube
Hat tip to Frank Munger, knoxblogs.com