Irvine : Animal Rights Activists Found Guilty and Fined

Six animal rights activists who had chained themselves to the doors of a medical sciences building at UC Irvine to protest animal research were convicted Thursday of failure to disperse.

An estimated 50 protesters gathered at UCI last April 24 to demonstrate against the treatment of animals in laboratories throughout the nine-campus University of California system. The group had a permit for a peaceful demonstration, but during the assembly 10 protesters chained themselves to the building.

The 10 said they would remain until their demands were met or they were arrested, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Nancy du Pont. Their demands included an immediate end to the use of lost and abandoned pets as research subjects and an assurance that students could refuse to dissect or vivisect animals in classes.

At the time of the demonstration, a UCI spokeswoman said that an estimated 21,000 animals--mostly rodents--are kept at the university for use in a variety of medical experiments. The work involves searching for cures or treatments for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and multiple sclerosis, among other disorders.

Of the original 10 arrested, du Pont said Thursday, the following were found guilty of one misdemeanor count each of failing to disperse when asked, and were fined $100 each and given one year’s probation: Betty Jo Fordham, 53, Los Angeles; Charlotte Wagner, 33, Westminster; Lucille Dillon, 58, Agoura; William Martens, 22, West Hollywood, and Geraldine Clemens, 32, Anaheim.

William Ferguson, 34, of Anaheim also was found guilty Thursday but refused to accept the sentence. He was ordered to return to court on Oct. 27 after a probation report is written. In addition, one protester pleaded no contest before the trial started Tuesday and three others are scheduled to plead no contest next month, du Pont said.

The demonstrators were also charged with one count each of blocking access to a public place, but the jury deadlocked, 7 to 5, and the charge was dismissed. “We agreed to the dismissal,” du Pont said.

The trial, which was held in Newport Beach before Municipal Judge Christopher W. Strople, lasted one day. The jury deliberated four hours before returning a verdict Thursday. Marilee Marshall, the demonstrators’ attorney, could not be reached for comment.