FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – Two protesters have been arrested after attaching themselves to Mountain Valley Pipeline equipment in Franklin County, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities say that shortly after 7 a.m., Mountain Valley Pipeline security officials contacted the Franklin County Sheriff's Office to report that two protesters had chained themselves to equipment.
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Amory Zhou-Kourvo, 19, of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Melissa Dubois, 27, of Worcester, Mass. were identified as the protesters attached to the equipment.
There were also reportedly four to five people in the road protesting.
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 protesters chained to the equipment seemed tired, so deputies called in the Department of Public Safety to check them for any medical issues.
A specialized team with Virginia State Police that is trained to remove protesters from equipment safely responded to the scene and removed the protesters from the equipment, according to the sheriff's office.
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.