'Divergent' Star Shailene Woodley Arrested for Allegedly Trespassing at Dakota Access Pipeline Protest

Shailene Woodley was protesting the pipeline, then led away by authorities.

ByABC News
October 10, 2016, 4:41 PM

— -- "Divergent" actress Shailene Woodley has been released from jail, her publicist told ABC News, after earlier being taken into custody during a protest about a controversial pipline.

Earlier today, the actress was was arrested for allegedly trespassing while protesting construction of the nearly completed, four-state Dakota Access Pipeline.

The incident, which took place in Morton County, ND, was captured during a Facebook Live stream on her official page this afternoon.

Woodley and others were protesting the 1,172-mile pipeline after a federal court Sunday rejected the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's appeal to halt construction of a project that tribal leaders say threatens their water supply and traverses culturally sacred sites on the North and South Dakota border.

"Shailene Woodley has been released from the Morton County Jail in North Dakota," her representative said in a statement. "She appreciates the outpouring of support, not only for her, but more importantly, for the continued fight against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline."

Woodley, 24, was arrested for alleged criminal trespass and allegedly engaging in a riot during a protest at a construction site that involved about 300 people, Morton County Sheriff's Department spokesman Rob Keller told ABC News.

Both charges are misdemeanors that carry a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine, though Keller told ABC News that Woodley posted a $500 fine. Keller told the Associated Press that 27 people were arrested during protests at two construction sites that prompted the shutdown of a state highway for several hours.

Morton County officials said in statement Friday that they had asked for “additional law enforcement resources from the State of Wisconsin to support the Morton County Sheriff’s Department in its response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.”

“We are grateful to the State of Wisconsin for providing additional law enforcement officers to support Morton County’s response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests,” N.D. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, who approved the request, said in the statement. “These additional resources will make it possible for local and state law enforcement to sustain ongoing response efforts and address public safety needs across the county.”

After law enforcement officers arrived today at the pipeline protest, Woodley could be seen walking back to her recreational vehicle. She was not allowed to get back in and was then placed in handcuffs. An officer told her that she was being arrested for trespassing.

"They are not letting me go," she told her 40,000 viewers during the live feed. "They have big guns and zip ties."

She then asked the officers why others protesting the construction were not also being arrested. They did not respond.

“It’s because I’m well-known," she told an officer and the camera.

Fans on Twitter have posted some of the clip where she was being handcuffed and taken away by officers.

Other than the small area near the reservation, the pipeline is nearly complete, according to The Associated Press.