Quote:
Originally Posted by Nebe
Scott. The first fire was to destroy evidence of a poaching incident. What would your reaction be if a land owner next to sachuest point shot a few deer on the point and then burned a huge area to destroy the evidence ?
My guess is you would be shocked and demand legal action.
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there was legal action
The government alleged that the first was ignited to cover up evidence of poaching and placed a teenager in danger. The Hammonds claimed that they started it to clear an invasive species, as is their legal right. Whatever its intent, the fire spread from the Hammonds’ property and ultimately ignited 139 acres of public land. But the trial judge found that the teenager’s testimony was tainted by age and bias and that the fire had merely damaged “juniper trees and sagebrush” — damage that “might” total $100 in value.
In 2010 — almost nine years after the 2001 burn — the government filed a 19-count indictment against the Hammonds that
included charges under the Federal Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which mandates a five-year prison term for anyone who “maliciously damages or destroys, or attempts to damage or destroy, by means of fire or an explosive, any building, vehicle, or other personal or real property in whole or in part owned or possessed by, or leased to, the United States.”