Environmental activist and former San Gabriel Valley resident is paid $100,000 by the FBI after being mistakenly jailed in connection with the vandalizing and setting ablaze of SUVs in 2003.
"Connole came to the FBI's attention after television stations broadcast footage of a roaring blaze at a Hummer dealership in West Covina the night of Aug. 22, 2003. The next day, a woman telephoned the FBI to report her suspicions about a small group of environmentalists who lived as a collective across from her home in Pomona. She said she had seen cars with out-of-state license plates parked on the street on the night of the arsons.
Connole, who grew up in Orange County, lived at the address as part of a cooperative called Regen V, which stood for regeneration of energy. He drove an electric-powered car, installed solar panels and was active in the antiwar movement.
The 27-year-old Connole, who now lives in Oregon, said Monday he was pleased with the settlement and hoped it would send a message to the law enforcement community that 'you can't throw people's civil rights out the window in the name of fighting terrorism.'"
Thanks to C. Scott Smith
FULL STORY: FBI Settles With Environmentalist
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