The San Francisco Chronicle reported this week that animal rights activists, Peter Schnell, 23, of Ocean, New Jersey, and Matthew Whyte, 18, of Orange, California, plead guilty to possessing explosive devices. Sentencing is scheduled for January 2002, with each activist facing up to three years in jail.
Schnell and Whyte were arrested at about 1 a.m. on January 23, 2001 outside the Capitola City Hall. Police found 11 one-gallon containers, along with more than 11 gallons of gasoline, matches and candles.
According to prosecutors, Schnell and Whyte agreed to a plea bargain and told prosecutors they had intended to make explosive devices as part of an Animal Liberation Front attack.
Source:
Animal rights activists enter guilty pleas. San Francisco Chronicle, October 17, 2001.