Knox man is arrested in protest after crash

By Maria M. Cornelius
News-Sentinel metro editor

Knox man
is arrested
in protest
after crash

A Knoxville environmentalist's rented plane crashed en route to Alabama, where he planned to protest the export of forest products. He escaped uninjured but was later arrested during the protest.

On Tuesday, Stephen A. Smith, 32, was among five men who climbed up a crane and handcuffed themselves to the rigging to protest the export of forest products at docks owned by Kimberly-Clark Port and Scott Paper's Chipco Inc.

On Sunday, the small plane rented in Knoxville and piloted by Smith crashed in a field near Mobile, Ala. Smith is executive director of the Tennessee Valley Energy Reform Coalition, a consortium of environmental, energy and conservation groups.

Maggie Kalen of TVERC said on Tuesday she spoke to Smith, and he attributed the crash to some type of malfunction because he believed he had about an hour's worth of fuel left.

Kalen said a plane engine quit, and the plane glided before dropping to the ground. She said the passengers — Danielle Doritsch, a University of Tennessee law student and Mike Knapp of All News 850 radio station in Knoxville — also were uninjured.

Smith was flying to Mobile to participate in the protest to focus attention on how the export of wood chips deplete forests and eliminate American jobs, according to protest organizers.

A police spokesman said the men were charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct after voluntarily coming down from the giant bucket crane used to load wood chips. Police identified the men as Smith; John E. Johnson, 25, of Chattanooga; Rodney E. Webb, 30, of Marshall, N.C.; Corey J. Freeman, 26, of Liecester, N.C.; and John Krielic, 34, of Missoula, Mont.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.