Sara Jane Olson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kathleen Ann Soliah January 16, 1947 Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A.) |
| Movement | Symbionese Liberation Army |
Sara Jane Olson (born Kathleen Ann Soliah on January 16, 1947) is an American far-left activist who was a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in 1975. The group disbanded and she was a fugitive for decades before being arrested. In 2001, she pleaded guilty to attempted murder related to a failed bombing plot. In 2003 she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder related the death of a customer during a botched bank robbery the SLA committed in California. Known then as Soliah, she was also accused of helping a group hide Patty Hearst, a kidnapped newspaper heiress, in 1974. After being federally indicted in 1976, Soliah was a wanted fugitive for several decades. She lived for periods in Zimbabwe and the U.S. states of Washington and Minnesota.
While in Minnesota, she legally changed her name to Sara Jane Olson, married, and had a family. Arrested in 1999, she pleaded guilty in 2001 to two counts of possessing explosives with intent to murder, and in 2003 to second-degree murder, both stemming from her SLA activities in the 1970s. She was sentenced to 14 years in prison.[1] She was mistakenly released for five days in March 2008 due to an error made in calculating her parole, and was rearrested.[2] She was released on parole on March 17, 2009.[3]
On November 4, 2020, Olson was arrested along with several others for blocking Interstate 94 in Minneapolis during a protest.[4]
- ^ "Sara Jane Olson's release from prison latest twist in life of Kathleen Soliah". Grand Forks Herald. March 17, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ "70's radical-turned-housewife back in prison". CNN. March 22, 2008.
- ^ "Sara Jane Olson Released to Parole". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. March 17, 2009.
- ^ Hyatt, Kim (November 21, 2022). "Convicted 1970s leftist militant Sara Jane Olson loses appeal for blocking I-94 in 2020 protest". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
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