Three plead guilty to cutting down cedars in Olympic National Forest
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - Three Grays Harbor County men have entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court in Tacoma for conspiring to steal and damage 31 old-growth cedar trees in the Olympic National Forest.
Forty-seven-year-old Craig James of Aberdeen, 47-year-old Bruce Brown of Humptulips and 48-year-old Floyd Stutesman of Hoquiam cut the trees during a several-week period in 2006 and were caught after 30-cords of cedar was cut and sold to timber mills.
Department of Justice spokeswoman Colleen Bernier says the wood was a rare and highly valued quality, indicating it came from older, protected trees.
According to court documents, some of the trees in question were nearly 600 years old. The felony conspiracy charge to which all three defendants pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 criminal fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing for the men will take place in November and December.
Forty-seven-year-old Craig James of Aberdeen, 47-year-old Bruce Brown of Humptulips and 48-year-old Floyd Stutesman of Hoquiam cut the trees during a several-week period in 2006 and were caught after 30-cords of cedar was cut and sold to timber mills.
Department of Justice spokeswoman Colleen Bernier says the wood was a rare and highly valued quality, indicating it came from older, protected trees.
According to court documents, some of the trees in question were nearly 600 years old. The felony conspiracy charge to which all three defendants pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 criminal fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing for the men will take place in November and December.