DARLINGTON - A plea agreement was reached April 8 in a case of timber theft at the Yellowstone Wildlife Area.
Gregory D. Stamm, 51, rural Argyle, pled no contest in Lafayette County Circuit Court to timber theft on public land.
Circuit Judge William D. Johnston ordered Stamm to pay Scott Olson Logging, Monroe, $2,046.19 in restitution and to serve five days in jail. Johnston also placed Stamm on one year probation.
The sentencing stems from events surrounding a 95-acre timber sale on DNR-managed land at the Yellowstone Wildlife Area, where the logging firm bought the timber and harvested wood during the winter and early spring of 2008.
The logs were stacked in a staging area pending transport when DNR forester Matt Singer, Darlington, noticed the logs missing in Aug. 2008.
State foresters contacted Olson, who told them his company had not transported the logs off site.
Conservation Warden Jeff King, Darlington, and Singer launched an investigation soon after. Their search led to Yellowstone Lake Chalet Campground, located just east of Yellowstone Lake State Park and operated by Stamm.
"Mr. Stamm ultimately cut and split, for sale to visiting campers, logs that were taken (from state land) without permission and owned by another," King said.
The results of King's investigation were turned over the Lafayette County district attorney in October 2008, and a plea agreement was reached last week.
"Trees, whether standing or fallen, are someone's property in most cases," King said. "Taking timber without the landowner's permission is really no different in a legal sense than taking a boat from someone's yard. In this case, the trees were taken from state land, but were still owned privately by the logger who bought them."
"If a person wants to obtain trees for whatever reason, always consult with the landowner or property manager first, even if they appear to be in a public place such as state lands or road right-of-ways, as they are property that belong to someone," King said.
Gregory D. Stamm, 51, rural Argyle, pled no contest in Lafayette County Circuit Court to timber theft on public land.
Circuit Judge William D. Johnston ordered Stamm to pay Scott Olson Logging, Monroe, $2,046.19 in restitution and to serve five days in jail. Johnston also placed Stamm on one year probation.
The sentencing stems from events surrounding a 95-acre timber sale on DNR-managed land at the Yellowstone Wildlife Area, where the logging firm bought the timber and harvested wood during the winter and early spring of 2008.
The logs were stacked in a staging area pending transport when DNR forester Matt Singer, Darlington, noticed the logs missing in Aug. 2008.
State foresters contacted Olson, who told them his company had not transported the logs off site.
Conservation Warden Jeff King, Darlington, and Singer launched an investigation soon after. Their search led to Yellowstone Lake Chalet Campground, located just east of Yellowstone Lake State Park and operated by Stamm.
"Mr. Stamm ultimately cut and split, for sale to visiting campers, logs that were taken (from state land) without permission and owned by another," King said.
The results of King's investigation were turned over the Lafayette County district attorney in October 2008, and a plea agreement was reached last week.
"Trees, whether standing or fallen, are someone's property in most cases," King said. "Taking timber without the landowner's permission is really no different in a legal sense than taking a boat from someone's yard. In this case, the trees were taken from state land, but were still owned privately by the logger who bought them."
"If a person wants to obtain trees for whatever reason, always consult with the landowner or property manager first, even if they appear to be in a public place such as state lands or road right-of-ways, as they are property that belong to someone," King said.