Bill Crain is spending up to 10 days in the Sussex County lockup following his seventh conviction since 2005, all for acts of civil disobedience while protesting the hunt.
NEWTON -- New Jersey's best-known bear hunt protester is reporting to jail Friday.
Bill Crain will spend up to 10 days in the Sussex County lockup following his seventh conviction since 2005, all for acts of civil disobedience while protesting the hunt.
Rather than contesting his sentence, the 73-year-old City College of New York psychology professor and grandfather of six went along with the municipal prosecutor's request for jail time.
"It's a way of demonstrating how seriously I take the plight and suffering of the bears," Crain told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday.
Crain was also fined $750 upon pleading guilty Dec. 8. His prior convictions resulted solely in fines, but a judge warned him last winter that jail might result the next time.
His repeated arrests, all in Sussex County, resulted from him moving from the area reserved for protesters outside state weigh stations where hunters were returning with dead bears.
Crain's wife of nearly 50 years, Ellen Crain, is planning to drop off her husband at the county jail by 5:30 p.m. Friday.
They live on an animal rescue farm in Dutchess County, N.Y., about a two-hour drive from Newton.
Crain said he was not given a deadline to report, but wanted to give his wife enough time to return home and "tuck in the animals."
Bill and Ellen Crain care for about 100 rescued farm animals, including goats, sheep, ducks, turkeys, chickens, pigs and two horses, on their 40-acre farm.
Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada did not comment on specifics of Crain's stay, such as whether he will be placed in protective custody upon arrival. The county jail houses about 140 inmates.
From his cell, Crain is unlikely to see or hear a vigil Saturday on his behalf, scheduled to begin at noon on the sidewalk outside the jail complex entrance.
Sarah Crain, a veterinarian and one of Bill and Ellen Crain's three grown children, is planning to attend, her father said.
The vigil is being organized by BEAR -- the Bear Education and Resource group -- whose director, Angi Metler, said Crain's repeated arrests had kept the bear hunt opposition in the public eye.
"We're very grateful to Bill, for all that he's done for the bears. People do respect him," Metler said.
Crain is a 1965 Harvard University graduate and longtime activist on numerous causes.
In New York City, he said he was jailed overnight twice, in the past two decades, after being arrested at protests against proposed tuition increases at City College and against efforts to prevent undocumented immigrants from enrolling.
He has drawn far greater notice for his bear advocacy, including a mention in a 2013 Time Magazine cover story on the hunting debate.
Unfailingly polite during his arrests, Crain drew praise last month from Judge James Devine even as the judge imposed a jail sentence.
Devine also granted Crain's request to schedule his sentence during winter break at City College.
"The court was kind enough to postpone the sentence until I could get the grades in," Crain said.
Two days after being sentenced, Crain returned to Fredon for a protest on the final day of the 2016 hunt, during which a record 636 bears were killed.
Among those joining Crain on the final day was former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli, a hunt opponent.
Looking ahead to his time in jail, Crain said he has no regrets and that he hopes it will reinforce his objections to the bear hunt.
"I hope it demonstrates what people are willing to do, that this is not a trivial matter," Crain said.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook