BINGHAMTON, New York - Four Ithaca protesters convicted Monday of trespassing and damaging government property when they spilled their blood in a Lansing military recruiting office can continue peaceful protests “to their hearts' content” until they are sentenced in late January, a judge said.


Daniel Burns is shown Monday outside federal court in Binghamton with his baby, Francis, after he and the other three members of the St. Patrick's Four were found not guilty of conspiracy to impede a federal officer, but guilty of two misdemeanor charges of trespassing and damaging federal property.
(KATHRYN DEUEL / Gannett News Service)

The charges
Peter De Mott, Clare Grady, Daniel Burns and Teresa Grady were indicted in February on federal charges for spilling their blood March 17, 2003, in a military recruiting office in Lansing.

The indictment contained the following counts:

• Conspiring to impede an officer of the United States, innocent.

• Injuring and damaging government property, guilty.

• Entering and damaging a military station for unlawful purposes, guilty.

• Entering a military station after having been previously removed. DeMott, Burns and Clare Grady were found guilty; Teresa Grady was not indicted on this count.

But they were warned Monday by Judge Thomas J. McAvoy not to break any laws while protesting, something the judge said would land them in jail before they are scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 24-27. McAvoy turned down a request from Assistant U.S. Attorney Miroslav Lovric to put all four protesters in jail on Monday


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