Hollywood actor jailed over power plant protest

Hollywood actor James Cromwell jailed over power plant protest                        

Veteran Hollywood actor James Cromwell has been sentenced to a week in a New York jail following a protest at a power plant.

A judge handed down the punishment to the 77-year-old Oscar-nominated star and two other activists.

Cromwell, who played the farmer in Babe and has featured in more than 50 films including LA Confidential and The Green Mile, blocked traffic during the demonstration in December 2015.

At the time, police used bolt cutters to remove a metal harness that Cromwell, of Warwick, Orange County, and the two other protesters put around their necks at a site entrance.

They were led away in handcuffs after they refused to
move.Cromwell and two others were found guilty of civil disobedience at the construction site of the natural gas-fired Competitive Power Ventures power plant in Wawayanda.

A spokesman for the Protect Orange County group says Cromwell and fellow activists will take part in a rally there before reporting to jail on Friday afternoon.

Protesters claim the facility, 60 miles northwest of New York City, threatens the environment.

They believe toxins from the plant may cause health issues and lower property value in the area.

Cromwell was nominated for best supporting actor at the 1996 Academy Awards for his role in Babe.