Ben and Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen arrested during F-35 protest

Ben and Jerry's Homemade Inc. co-founder Ben Cohen was arrested in downtown Burlington Saturday afternoon for repeatedly violating the city's noise ordinances while holding a "public demonstration" about the F-35 fighter planes, police said.

Activists opposed to the impending basing of the F-35s played jet noise from a tower of speakers mounted on the back of a pickup truck at a level they said simulated what it would be like to be underneath the flight path. 

More:

• F-35 petitioners prevail in getting their version on the Burlington ballot
• Pentagon F-35 review unlikely to affect Vermont
• FAA made F-35 maps for some cities, just not S. Burlington

Cohen was one of three people arrested for disorderly conduct shortly after 3 p.m., said Lt. Matthew Sullivan. Cohen was escorted from the intersection of Church and Main streets in handcuffs. 

Burlington's noise ordinances say that tickets should be issued for the first two violations and allow for an arrest on the third. Sullivan said police were able to obtain witness statements about the first two incidents and witnessed the third personally.

The three activists would be issued citations to appear in court and released this afternoon, Sullivan said. 

Burlington voters will get a chance to weigh in on whether city officials should oppose the basing, which is scheduled for 2019, on Tuesday.

Police told the activists they were violating the ordinance and would be getting tickets earlier in the day, Cohen said around noon after playing the noise for six minutes, adding that people had complained about the disruption.

"Of course, that's exactly the point," Cohen said. 

Last month, Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, adjutant general of the Vermont Air National Guard, said millions of dollars have been invested in preparing for the F-35s and members of the Guard were deployed around the country training on the plane.

"There is no alternative mission being planned for the Guard," he said. 

He said the language of the ballot item, which asks voters if they should advise their representatives to oppose the basing as part of their support for the Guard, is misleading. 

Pro-basing advocates have waged their own campaign to convince Burlingtonians to vote "No" on the advisory question. Earlier this week, Frank Cioffi, president of the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation, held a news conference praising the economic impact of the F-35.

According to NBC5, two F-35 jets will visit Burlington this summer to allow residents to see and hear the new jets in advance of the fall 2019 arrival of 18 planes.

Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @jess_aloe