Lester R. Kinney, 48, has been indicted on charges stemming from his arrest following an alleged threat against a group of surveyors from the PennEast pipeline company in April.
HOLLAND TWP. - Lester R. Kinney, 48, has been indicted on charges stemming from his arrest in April following an alleged threat against a group of surveyors from the PennEast pipeline company.
In a Grand Jury decision unsealed on Friday, Kinney was indicted in July on second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and third-degree terroristic threats. If convicted, he would face five to 10 years in prison on the firearm charge and three to five years on the terroristic threats charge.
Kinney allegedly brandished a gun and threatened three subcontractors conducting a wildlife survey for the PennEast Pipeline.
"People are free to protest and voice their opinions on the pipeline project or any other issue, but it must be conducted in a lawful manner," Anthony P. Kearns III, Hunderdon County prosecutor, said at the time of Kinney's arrest.
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The contractors were parked on Milford-Warren Glen Road when Kinney allegedly approached them, holding a rifle, it was previously reported. Kinney asked them if they were with the PennEast Pipeline, and when they said yes, he reportedly waived the rifle in the air, shouting in opposition to the project and vowing to stop it, according to a release from PennEast.
The PennEast pipeline, a 118-mile, 36-inch natural gas conduit planned to run from the Marcellus Shale region of Northeast Pennsylvania to Hopewell Township in Mercer County, has been vehemently opposed in New Jersey.
Many property owners along the proposed route have refused to let the company survey their land and every municipality in Hunterdon and Mercer counties has passed resolutions opposing it, and both counties have banned the company from public land.
Large crowds attended Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hearings in Clinton Township and Trenton on Tuesday and Wednesday where recorded testimony was taken on on the draft environmental statement for the proposed pipeline.