2 Peace Activists Denied Bail in Rockwell Satellite Attack

Saying they represent flight risks, a federal magistrate Friday denied bail for two peace activists who are charged with taking an ax to a space satellite at Rockwell International complex, causing about $2 million in damage.

U.S. District Magistrate Ronald W. Rose ordered that Peter A. Lumsdaine, 37, and Joseph Kjoller, 31, be held without bail at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center. Both men were ordered to return to Rose’s courtroom for arraignment on June 1.

Lumsdaine and Kjoller, both of Santa Cruz, were arrested Sunday after they scaled an eight-foot chain-link fence at the Rockwell International Corp. in Seal Beach and broke into the building with their axes, police allege.

Lumsdaine allegedly splintered a $50-million navigational satellite--striking it at least 60 times--with his ax while Kjoller allegedly smashed the window of a room containing Rockwell’s Global Positioning satellites, police said. Both are charged with malicious destruction of government property. If convicted, each could face a $10,000 fine and time in prison.

Lumsdaine is the founder of the Santa Cruz-based First Strike Prevention Program, a nonviolent group opposed to the Trident nuclear missile. Kjoller is reportedly his follower.

Attorneys for the men argued that they had strong ties to the community and would not flee if released on bail.

Lumsdaine has a 4-year-old daughter and “he wants to help continue raising her,” said his lawyer, Raymond G. Hernacki.

Hernacki also argued that Lumsdaine, who has been arrested several times before on misdemeanor charges, has always “made every (court) appearance required of him.”

Assistant U.S. Atty. Elana Shavit Artson told the judge that at the time of the arrests last Sunday, authorities found passports for both men and $1,000 in traveler’s checks, which she said, indicate that they had plans to flee the country after committing the alleged crime.

Rose agreed that the men pose flight risks and denied them bail. However, he ruled that there was not enough evidence to show that Kjoller was a danger to the community.