Actor Martin Sheen pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal
trespassing charge for demonstrating at Vandenberg Air Force Base in October
against a space-based missile shield proposal.
Sheen, who entered his plea to the misdemeanor charge before U.S. District
Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Johnson, was sentenced to three years probation and
fined $500.
Under the terms of his probation, Sheen is banned from Vandenberg unless he
receives permission from officials there, said Thom Mrozek of the U.S.
Attorney’s Office.
The actor said he entered the plea because he does not want to jeopardize
his role as President Jeb Bartlet on NBC’s The West Wing.’
“I have a prior engagement with The West Wing, another year on my
contract, and I can’t risk losing (the case) and going to prison for six
months,” he said outside court.
“Morally, I’m bound to fulfill my contract. That was the whole
motivation” for pleading guilty, he said.
The actor said his federal court experience has left him “conquered, but
unafraid,” and he will continue to oppose “Star Wars” initiatives.
Earlier today, Sheen and some of the two dozen activists charged in the
Vandenberg protest demonstrated outside the Roybal Federal Building.
Most of the other activists later pleaded innocent to the trespass charge.
They face trial Dec. 6, Mrozek said.
Carrying hand-lettered signs that said “No Star Wars,” “No National
Missile Defense” and “Keep Space for Peace,” they gathered on a street
corner to speak to reporters.
“I can’t think of a worse thing to inflict on the universe than nuclear
weapons in outer space, and all of them pointed to the Earth,” said Sheen,
who has demonstrated against nuclear power and other causes for decades.
Sheen and the others were arrested Oct. 7 at Vandenberg on suspicion of
trespassing on a federal military reservation. They were cited and released.
Bill Simpich was among the demonstrators.
“The whole thing was a travesty and driven by their fear of the American
people finding out about the dangers of the ‘Star Wars’ program” proposed
years ago during the Reagan administration.
The program, which would be based primarily in Southern California, is
opposed by many European nations and Russia.
“When we went to Vandenberg, it was still under the Clinton
administration,” said a woman who identified herself to Channel 4 as Star
Hawk. “It was a bad idea under Clinton, and it’s a worse idea under Bush.”
