Canadian sci-fi writer Peter Watts convicted in Michigan case stemming from stop as US border

Canadian sci-fi writer convicted in border case

PORT HURON, Mich. — A Canadian science fiction writer has been convicted of assaulting, obstructing and resisting a police officer during an inspection in Michigan last year by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.

A St. Clair County jury convicted 52-year-old Peter Watts of Toronto on Friday. He faces up to two years in prison when he is sentenced on April 26.

Watts was trying to cross into Canada on Dec. 8 at the Blue Water Bridge when his vehicle was selected for inspection. Authorities say he was detained after becoming noncompliant. Watts testified that he was trying to comply.

A message seeking comment left Friday for his lawyer, Douglas Mullkoff, wasn’t immediately returned.

Watts’ books include “Starfish,” ”Maelstrom” and “Behemoth,” known as the “Rifters Trilogy.”