Picket line disturbances at C&H Sugar strike in Crockett lead to multiple arrests

Nine people were arrested and one man was hospitalized after disturbances at the C&H Sugar plant picket line in Crockett on Tuesday, authorities said.

A spokesperson for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to the C&H plant on Loring Avenue at about 11 a.m. after receiving calls that protesters were throwing rocks at people entering the facility and blocking the roadway, preventing workers from leaving. 

Approximately 100 warehouse workers at the plant have been on strike since June 15 when contract negotiations stalled. Union leaders said a car drove through the picket line and struck one man, sending him to the hospital. The California Highway Patrol also investigated reports that at least two people were struck by vehicles, but the Sheriff's Office did not confirm the reports. 

Deputies spent over five hours trying to manage the crowd of protesters, and eventually decided that they would need to disperse the gathering, Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jimmy Lee said. He added that despite multiple announcements made to the crowd, nine people refused to leave the scene and were arrested. 

The protesters were booked at the Martinez Detention Facility for charges including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being lawfully ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction, and resisting a police officer. Six of them have since been released, while three remained in custody as of Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office said.