Sat, Oct 11, 2008

Tucson Region

Calif. priests plead innocent in Ft. Huachuca trespass case

Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.04.2007
Two Bay-area Catholic priests facing prison time for trespassing at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista pleaded innocent in federal court in Tucson on Tuesday morning.
The priests — the Rev. Louis J. Vitale and the Rev. Steve Kelly — are scheduled to go to trial June 6 and June 4, respectively.
The pair are accused of trespassing at Fort Huachuca, about 75 miles southeast of Tucson, on Nov. 19 while protesting military intelligence training.
They were set to deliver a letter to the post's top commander, Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, stating that the facility trains personnel in torture methods, a claim the Army denies.
Vitale, a 74-year-old Franciscan priest, and Kelly, a 58-year-old Jesuit priest, both have been locked up previously for acts of civil disobedience.
Before the priests' arraignment Tuesday morning, about 30 people held a vigil and rally for them outside the U.S. District Courthouse, reading from Scripture and singing songs about social justice.
Supporters say they're planning a public-awareness campaign about the fort's military intelligence school for the weeks leading up to the trials.