UPDATE: UCSC “Highway 6” restutition hearing continued to July

UPDATE 6/30/2015 4:42 p.m.: A judge in Santa Cruz County Superior Court said a decision on the restitution six UCSC protesters will have to pay won’t be decided until all six criminal cases are complete.

On Monday, five of the six students were sentenced in court to 30 days in jail. But the attorney for one of them was out of the country, according to a spokesperson for the protesters.

A decision on their restitution has been continued until July 27, when they are scheduled to appear in court again.

UPDATE 6/30/2015: On Monday, six UC Santa Cruz students were in court for their role in shutting down parts of Highways 1 and 17 in March. Those students said the protest was over tuition hikes and police brutality.

Five of the six UCSC student protesters were sentenced. The sixth is waiting for their attorney to get back from being out of town. The judge allowed the protestors to speak before issuing the sentence.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and I’m just thankful for the opportunity and the privilege that I can use my voice and my body for those who cannot,” protester Lori Nixon.

The courtroom was packed as these five students were read their sentence.

“Your actions spoke louder than your words under this circumstance,” the judge said.

Six students protested tuition hikes by blocking Highway 1 for hours in Santa Cruz on March 3rd. They were all found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of public nuisance and resisting or obstructing an officer.

“The total was 30 days from the judge and the judge also indicated alternative programs were eligible so they can serve that custody time, alternatively not just in county jail,” prosecutor Kristal Anderson said.

The student protestors seemed happy with their sentence after court.

“I feel everybody in this courtroom today did stand by the fact that my actions were to try to make an affordable education for everybody,” protester Alexander Pearce said.

The students are still not allowed back on campus. University administrators suspended the protestors for 10 months and they have to complete more than 100 hours of community service as part of the university punishment as well.

“We’re working really hard on trying to finish that right now,” Pearce said.

The students are back in court Tuesday for a restitution hearing. They could pay a total of up to $40,000 to local law enforcement and emergency responders.

UPDATE 6/29/15 12:23 p.m.: Five UCSC students responsible for shutting down Highway 1 in March during a protest against tuition hikes were sentenced to 30 days in jail. They’ll also have option to apply for custody alternative programs.

Ethan Pezzolo, 20, of Santa Cruz, Alexander Pearce, 20, of San Francisco, Sophia Dimatteo, 20, of Sherman Oaks, Jeanine Caceres, 22, of Santa Cruz, Lori Nixon, 29, of Santa Cruz, and Sasha Petterson, 20, of Santa Cruz were found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of public nuisance and resisting or obstructing an officer.

Petterson was not sentenced Monday because her attorney was out of the country.

They can serve the jail sentence without being in jail through a community service program with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. The students are on informal probation.

PREVIOUS STORY: The six U.C. Santa Cruz students who shut down Highway 1 during a tuition protest in March are being sentenced in Santa Cruz County Monday.

All six pleaded no contest to the charges against them in May.

Ethan Pezzolo, 20, of Santa Cruz, Alexander Pearce, 20, of San Francisco, Sophia Dimatteo, 20, of Sherman Oaks, Jeanine Caceres, 22, of Santa Cruz, Lori Nixon, 29, of Santa Cruz, and Sasha Petterson, 20, of Santa Cruz all faced two misdemeanor counts of public nuisance and resisting or obstructing an officer.

The judge called for a sentence of 30 days in jail, while prosecutors asked for the maximum — 18 months. The protesters will also face restitution up to $40,000 among the six of them for the cost of law enforcement response to the incident. A restitution hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30.

On March 3, the students blocked traffic on Highway 1 near the fishhook. For more than four hours, they locked arms through steel poles, strung together by trash cans filled with cement protesting tuition hikes and police on campus.

NewsChannel 5 has a crew at the courthouse and will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.