Route 93 Protesters Plead Guilty to Obstructing Ambulance

MILTON, MA - The 10 remaining defendants charged in connection with last January’s Black Lives Matter protest on Route 93 in Milton have pleaded guilty to willfully obstructing an emergency vehicle.

Mark Schwaller, 33, James Billman, 26, Noah McKenna, 29, Emily Osmum, 28, Nicole Sullivan, 26, Angela Davis, 44, Eli Cohen, 26, Brett West, 27, William Connolly, 27, and Joshua Nickel, 25, were all sentenced to six months of probation and 60 hours of community service according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors asked for 90 days of jail time, the maximum penalty for the charge.

On Jan. 15, 2015, a group of protesters placed barrels on Route 93 before handcuffing themselves to the objects and halting traffic. The obstruction delayed an ambulance from Easton that was heading to Boston Medical Center.

In court, Nickel admitted that there were sufficient facts in regards to the charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle for using his car as a shield to block the road while the barrels were unloaded. The charge was continued without a finding by the court.

While delivering an impact statement, the daughter of a man who was transported in the ambulance called the event “a reckless attempt to draw attention to what I feel is a very important topic.”