MOUNT VERNON — An Oregon man awaiting a new trial after a court of appeals overturned a burglary conviction for breaking into a Kinder Morgan oil pipeline facility near Burlington has pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
Kenneth Ward, 64, of Corbett, Oregon, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Skagit County Superior Court to one count of second-degree criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor.
Ward was found guilty of burglary, a felony offense, in 2017 after an October 2016 incident in which he allegedly broke into the facility west of Burlington and attempted to shut off the pipeline.
In April 2019, a state appeals court overturned Ward’s conviction, stating that the trial court had erred by not allowing Ward to present a “necessity defense,” which would have asserted that a criminal act was necessary on his behalf to avoid harm, and no legal alternative was available.
“Although Mr. Ward maintains his sincere belief in the viability of that defense, he has elected to resolve the case,” Ward’s lawyers said in a defendant’s sentencing memorandum filed in Skagit County Superior Court.
After his 2017 conviction, Ward was sentenced to two days in jail and 30 days of community service to be completed in Skagit County. He completed both, and received no additional sentence for his plea to trespassing.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
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Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.