Chelsea Dawn Gerlach
Encyclopedia
Chelsea Dawn Gerlach is an American radical environmentalist associated with the Earth Liberation Front
and the Animal Liberation Front
.
, on December 7, 2005, in Operation Backfire
. On July 21, 2006, she pleaded guilty to three counts of arson
. The fires were at Childer's Meat Company, Boise Cascade
and an EPD
substation. She was also charged with eight counts of aiding and abetting arson in 1998 at Vail Ski Resort
in Colorado
. The fires also burned down the ski patrol headquarters and several lift buildings.
On May 25, 2007 she was sentenced to nine years in prison. She is serving her sentence at a federal prison.
Earth Liberation Front
The Earth Liberation Front , also known as "Elves" or "The Elves", is the collective name for autonomous individuals or covert cells who, according to the ELF Press Office, use "economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the environment".The ELF was founded...
and the Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
.
Biography
Gerlach was arrested in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, on December 7, 2005, in Operation Backfire
Operation Backfire (FBI)
Operation Backfire is a multi-agency criminal investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation , into destructive acts in the name of animal rights and environmental causes in the United States described as eco-terrorism by the FBI....
. On July 21, 2006, she pleaded guilty to three counts of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
. The fires were at Childer's Meat Company, Boise Cascade
Boise Cascade
Boise Cascade Holdings, LLC, which uses the trade name Boise, is an American pulp and paper company, ranked as the thirteenth largest forest products company in the world....
and an EPD
EPD
-Science:*Enzyme Potentiated Desensitisation, a treatment for allergies*Etch pit density, a measure for the quality of semiconductor wafers*Environmental Product Declarations, a method in life cycle assessment...
substation. She was also charged with eight counts of aiding and abetting arson in 1998 at Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado, next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The fires also burned down the ski patrol headquarters and several lift buildings.
On May 25, 2007 she was sentenced to nine years in prison. She is serving her sentence at a federal prison.