Police and court briefs 3 charged with ditching stakes

Two women and a man were charged with misdemeanor theft for allegedly ditching stolen survey stakes from the NEXUS transmission pipeline, according to a report from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.

A 22-year-old Oberlin woman, a 20-year-old Vermont woman and their alleged getaway driver, a 19-year-old New Hampshire man, were booked into the Erie County Jail early April 2, the report said.

A sheriff’s deputy found them with 50 stakes owned by Nexus Gas Transmission GTE Energy of Detroit, according to the report.

The NEXUS pipeline project would cross Lorain County and it has sparked opposition from residents along its route, including in Oberlin and the southern part of the county.

The names of the three people arrested April 2 matched names of students at Oberlin College, according to the online directory at oberlin.edu.

About 12:25 a.m., April 2, an Erie County sheriff’s deputy was in a patrol car heading west on Mason Road, approaching state Route 61, when he saw a silver 2004 Volvo XC70 car stopped on the road and two people standing next to it, the report stated.

As the deputy approached, the two people fled south into a field and the car crossed Route 61, the report said.

The deputy found the two women hiding nearby; they said they were looking for a dog, the report said.

While speaking to the women, the deputy spotted “a large pile of survey stakes in the area” where they ran, the report said. The stakes were still wet and muddy and had the word “NEXUS” and various numbers and letters stamped on them, the report said.

The women were detained pending the deputy’s investigation and the car returned to the area, parking across the street, the report said.

Speaking to the driver, the deputy saw more of the survey stakes in plain view in the rear of the car, with one of the stakes clearly labeled NEXUS, the report said.

The sheriff’s report said the three were scheduled for arraignment April 2 at Erie County Municipal Court.

However, online court records did not indicate when they would appear.