The eyes of an overcrowded Muncie courtroom widened Tuesday as the words "one dollar" were spoken by Judge Wayne Lennington.
"I am not going to sentence you people," Lennington said. "There was no damage or destruction."
Associate professor of history Abel Alves and his wife, Carol Blakney, were found guilty of trespassing on a farm in Muncie at the end of January. The judge fined Alves and Blakney $1 each.
Lennington, who was the judge during the two-day trial, said the jury made the decision and apologized several times at the sentencing.
"I'm sorry for the problems you people (Alves and Blakney) are having," he said. "I'm sorry that it wound up in criminal court."
Defense attorney Kathy Stinton-Glen asked for a protective order to be considered before the sentence was given. She asked that the Social Security numbers of Alves and Blakney not be given verbally, which is a normal practice in a court setting.
"Over the course of the last year, there's been a number of comments made that have branded Alves and Blakney as eco-terrorists," Stinton-Glen said. "We would ask for them to write (their social security numbers)."
Lennington granted the request after Stinton-Glen added the probability of identity theft for the couple. Prosecutor Judi Calhoun rebutted the written request.
"(Alves and Blakney) are not above the law," Calhoun said. "I don't know why we would treat them any differently," she said. Lennington disregarded her statements.
The owner of the farm and the one eyewitness in the trial were not present.
Alves said, although relieved by the sentence, he and Blakney are planning to appeal the court's verdict in finding them guilty of trespassing.
"I'm appealing because I'm not above the law," Alves said. "I do not consider myself guilty, and I want to bring that to the surface."
Many of Alves' students use him as a reference for jobs, some governmental, he said. He said some agencies would not approve of someone with a criminal record.
Supporters of the couple were forced to stand in the back because of lack of seating in the courtroom.
Alves said he was overwhelmed to see the number of people, especially students.
"Many of (my students) have been through my lecture on the pursuit of truth to determine conclusions," Alves said. "I was glad to see the students see the legal system at work."
Senior Tara Smith, who has been a graduate assistant for Alves for three semesters, attended the sentencing with seven friends.
"Dr. Alves is a wonderful professor and a force for good," she said. "That's why so many of us are here."
Julee Rosser, assistant director of women's studies, said $1 is too much for the couple to pay.
"I came to support them to ensure that activism is not grounds for calling people terrorists," she said.
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