Five activists arrested Monday night during a sit-in at U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ Bangor office will not face prosecution as the result of an agreement endorsed Friday by Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy.
The prosecutor said the circumstances that resulted in the criminal trespass charges against the protesters were given special consideration.
“After consulting with Sen. Collins’ office and Chief Mark Hathaway of the Bangor Police Department and a representative for the protesters, our office has decided to decline prosecution and in return the protesters will be making a donation to a local organization that helps the poor,” Almy said. “We feel this is a reasonable solution to the situation at hand.”
He said he understands that some Mainers would have preferred a harsher penalty.
“Now I can appreciate the fact that there are going to be some people who feel that this is not the proper way to handle the case, and I understand that, and if they have any gripes about that, they can blame me,” Almy said. “I’ll take responsibility, but overall I think that it’s a reasonable solution and we’re happy with it.”
The demonstration was organized by the Maine AFL-CIO and Mainers for Accountable Leadership to protest Collins’ support for the Senate’s tax package.
Correction: Five activists were arrested, not four.