BUTTE, Mont. (AP) - A man accused of illegally cutting down 52 Douglas fir trees from the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Montana has pleaded not guilty to theft of government property.
The Montana Standard reports Monday (https://goo.gl/yc5G3i ) that the trees were valued at nearly $18,000 and that 64-year-old Bob Young is accused of cutting them from July 2012 until at least 2014. Young entered his plea on Aug. 18.
Court documents say Young is a real-estate agent who has a business of cutting and milling trees.
The documents say a deputy refuge manager first noticed multiple freshly cut trees on November 2014 and began to investigate. The manager says he saw Young transporting Douglas fir trees in the area in early 2014.
Young’s trial date is Oct. 26 in Butte’s federal courthouse.
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Information from: The Montana Standard, https://www.mtstandard.com
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