Twenty-two people were arrested in Bath on Saturday for allegedly obstructing a public way as they protested outside the Bath Iron Works shipyard during the christening ceremony of a new destroyer, the USS Inouye.
A group of about 50 protesters came to the event to demand that Bath Iron Works address global warming rather than build “weapons that make the problem worse,” according to a written statement from two of the protesters, Lisa Savage and Mark Roman of Solon.
[Late Hawaii senator’s widow christens warship bearing name]
The people were arrested at various locations between 8:45 a.m. and 10 a.m., said Deputy Chief Robert Savary of the Bath Police Department.
Twelve of the people who were arrested were allegedly blocking the south gate of Bath Iron Works, preventing the entry of buses that were bringing invited guests to the ceremony, Savary said. The other 10 were arrested on King and Vine streets.
They were arrested after allegedly not obeying orders to leave the roads, according to Savary.
Those arrested were Luther Howard, 71, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts; Cynthia Howard, 72, of Biddeford; Lisa Savage, 62, of Solon; Mark Roman, 71, of Solon; William Thomas, 76, of Auburn; Daniel Ellis, 71, of Brunswick; Richard Lethem, 87, of Brunswick; Constance Jenkins, 71, of East Blue Hill; Dudley Hendrick, 77, of Deer Isle; Robert Shetterly, 72, of Brooksville; Sophia Fuller, 72, of Belfast; Mary Beth Sullivan, 65, of Brunswick; Bruce Gagnon, 66, of Brunswick; Ashley Bahlkow, 35, of North Yarmouth; Sophia Bahlkow, 43, of North Yarmouth; Natalyn Mayers, 73, of Whitefield; Kenneth Jones, 70, of Swannanoa, North Carolina; Sarah Fulton, 30, of Davis, California; James Freeman, 70, of Verona Island; Dixie Searway, 81, of Parsonsfield; Russell Wray, 64, of Hancock; and George Ostensen, 64, of Hope.
About a dozen of them were released on bail. The others refused to sign summonses and were instead taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset
They are due to appear in West Bath District Court on Aug. 6, but those who were taken to jail may have hearings on Monday, according to Savage.