Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
HURLEY - A Weston, Wis., woman on Friday entered no contest pleas to two charges in connection with a heated confrontation with Gogebic-Taconite employees at the site of a proposed iron mine.
Katie "Krow" Kloth, 27, was found guilty in Iron County Court of felony robbery by use of force and misdemeanor malicious destruction of property at the proposed mine site by acting Judge Douglas Fox.
Two other charges - theft and a second malicious destruction of property -were dismissed through a plea agreement.
Iron County District Attorney Marty Lipske said Fox ordered a pre-sentence investigation.
Sentencing is expected in around two months, Lipske said.
A jury trial had originally been scheduled on the charges for Oct. 1-2.
The case attracted statewide attention when a video of the disturbance was released on the Internet.
The criminal complaint alleged on June 11, 2013, Kloth used force to grab and destroy a camera at the mine site near Upson, wrestling it away from a G-Tac employee.
From 15 to 20 protesters were at the site that day, some with their faces partially covered by bandanas. They first began throwing soda cans and shouting obscenities at G-Tac employees when their backs were turned.
The protesters then climbed onto drilling equipment at the site and began throwing around shovels and other items, the complaint said.
Some equipment belonging to the Idea Drilling company was damaged.
Total damages at the site were estimated at $2,400.
After the protest, the first day of drilling was delayed until the next morning.
Charges were filed on June 21, 2013.
A $5,000 signature bond continues, with provisions that Kloth have no contact with G-Tac employees.
Fox, of Price County, was assigned to the case when Kloth's attorney filed for a substitution of judges. Fox took over for Iron County Judge Patrick Madden.
