A woman who plead guilty to charges stemming from a 2013 masked “raid” of a Gogebic Taconite drill site in northwestern Wisconsin was not only sentenced to nine months in jail and five years’ probation on Wednesday, but now faces fresh felony bail-jumping charges as well.
Katie Kloth, a 27-year-old woman from Weston, plead guilty last fall to charges of felony theft and misdemeanor damage to property. She was one of about a dozen masked people who jumped out of the Iron County woods at a GTAC drill site in June of 2013. Kloth took the cell phone of a GTAC geologist, and the group of protesters also caused some damage to drilling equipment.
Iron County District Attorney Marty Lipske said Kloth is now facing the bail-jumping charges after taking part in a weekend snowshoe walk back to the proposed mine site. Lipske said the conditions of her bond barred her from going there. However, he said the new charges won’t affect her sentence.
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“It wouldn’t be something that she would end up losing her probation on because she had not been convicted of it,” said Lipske.
An initial court appearance for Kloth is scheduled for Feb. 3. Lipske said she faces up to 15 years and nine months in prison if she violates her probation.
Meanwhile, Lipske said Kloth will pay about $2,400 restitution to the victim and drilling company as part of her sentence for her role in the 2013 raid. She will also be referred to the Department of Corrections for programming to address anger management.
“That probably should be enough to get Ms. Kloth’s attention and do some of the right things,” said Lipske.
Lipske said Kloth is expected to begin serving her sentence in Iron County jail in the next two weeks.
Kloth’s attorney could not be reached for comment.
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