Preliminary Hearing Begins in Ramsey Gifford Tree-Sit Extraction Case

For immediate release April 20, 2005

Preliminary Hearing Begins in Ramsey Gifford Case
Contract Climber Eric Schatz Takes the Stand

Eureka, CA While the pepper spray trial continues in San Francisco, the preliminary hearing in another Earth First!-related case began today in Humboldt County, CA. Ramsey Gifford is being charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, against Maxxam/PL-hired contract climbers Eric Schatz and Co. The charges stem from an incident which occurred during a tree-sit extraction in the Freshwater Creek watershed, in Humboldt County, California, on March 10, 2003.

Contract climber Eric Schatz took the stand today, answering questions for the prosecution and defense. Video footage of portions of the incident were going to be played for the court today, after an objection by prosecutor Tim Stoen was overruled by Judge Feeny, yet time ran out before the footage could be shown. The footage is expected to be shown tomorrow, with court starting at 8:30 a.m., in courtroom 8, of the Humboldt County courthouse.

Portions of the footage that will be shown are available online, on the front page of http://www.northcoastearthfirst.org . The extraction footage on the internet was released in February of 2004, after which Eric Schatz pursued a federal copyright and protective order on the remainder of the videos, taken from the headcams mounted on the helmets of the contracted extraction climbers. Eric Schatz was granted the copyright, and the protective order has been strictly enforced.

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