New Mexico man sent to federal prison for pipeline protest

BISMARCK, N.D. – A New Mexico man who took part in the Dakota Access oil pipeline protests in North Dakota has been sentenced to serve three years in federal prison.

Authorities say 45-year-old Michael Giron was part of a group that put barricades on a state highway south of Mandan, North Dakota, and set them on fire, then clashed with law officers. The incident happened Oct. 27, 2016.

Giron, who also goes by the name Little Feather, pleaded guilty to civil disorder in February in a plea agreement with prosecutors, who dismissed a more serious charge. He is the first of seven protesters charged with federal crimes to be sentenced.

He received credit for a little more than a year he’s already served behind bars.