98-year-old activist arrested during pipeline protest

A 98-year-old activist has been arrested on a trespassing charge during a protest at a natural gas pipeline project in Massachusetts.

State police say Frances Crowe and seven other demonstrators were arrested last weekend at Otis State Forest in Sandisfield. They were protesting an easement that allows the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. to widen its right of way through the forest.

A nonprofit involved in the pipeline protests says Crowe put herself and her wheelchair in a contested area of the forest on Saturday.

Police say she trespassed into restricted areas.

The federally approved Connecticut Expansion Project extends existing pipeline infrastructure in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut, adding 4 miles of new underground pipeline in Massachusetts.

Crowe will be arraigned Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear if she has an attorney.