For Release: Friday, November 21, 2008
DEC Charges Fulton County Man with Timber Theft
A Fulton County man has been arrested by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation (BECI) for numerous charges related to stealing timber from three property owners in the Town of Stratford, DEC Regional Director Betsy Lowe announced today.
Jaime Cool, 33, a Stratford resident, has been charged with six felony counts (three involving grand larceny, three criminal mischief) and 45 misdemeanor counts of damaging trees belonging to another. Cool allegedly cut and removed more than nearly 140 trees from three properties along Hadcock Road and County Route 104 in Stratford, between May and September 2007. The timber from the trees has an estimated value of $30,000.
Cool was arraigned before Judge Pollard at the Stratford Town Court and remanded to the Fulton County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. He faces up to seven years imprisonment on several of the felony charges.
Jennifer Cool, 32, Cool's wife, also has been arrested and charged with two counts of issuing bad checks related to the timber thefts. She was arraigned and release on her own recognizance.
"DEC understands the serious impacts timber theft has on landowners and the natural resources of the state," Regional Director Lowe said. "We will continue to investigate, and take enforcement action against, timber theft activity. However, landowners must take actions to prevent or minimize the opportunities to be victimized by timber theft."
"We updated New York's timber theft laws several years ago, but it still remains a serious and potentially growing problem," said Senator George H. Winner, Jr., chairman of the New York State Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. "Now there's widespread concern that we're about to experience rising cases of timber theft as this resource becomes more and more valuable. It's a serious threat to New York's economy and environment, particularly upstate."
This is the third time in the past 18 months that DEC has arrested Cool on charges involving the harvesting of trees with out the permission of the owner. The previous charges, which include two counts of grand larceny and one count of felony criminal mischief, are still in litigation.
The investigation of the theft was conducted by Investigator Thomas Preston of DEC's Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation and coordinated with the Fulton County District Attorney Office. DEC Environmental Conservation Officers and Forest Rangers assisted in the investigation.
"Timber theft remains a consistent problem to Fulton County's forest owners, said Louise K. Sira, Fulton County District Attorney. "With the help of the DEC, our Office will continue to prosecute offenders, develop strategies and solutions to curb this crime, and assist victims in recovering their losses."
If you have been a victim of timber theft please contact the nearest DEC Office or the DEC Dispatch at 518/897-1326. Be prepared to provide as much information as possible about:
• Who was involved?
• What was taken?
• Where and when the theft occurred? and,
• Other relevant facts.
"Timber theft hurts everyone from the landowner to the wood using industry to those who need clean water, wildlife habitat, and a strong economy," said Dr. Hugh Canham, Emeritus Professor from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. "Proper sustainable harvests improve all forest values but the illegal cutting of someone's fine trees is devastating. The New York Society of American Foresters, the New York Forest Owners Association and several other organizations are working hard to educate people how to prevent timber theft and to vigorously prosecute the thieves. We applaud the efforts of the investigators at the Department of Environmental Conservation to bring this thief to justice."
Landowners should take the responsibility to prevent trespass and timber theft on their property and avoid being cheated by unscrupulous loggers and buyers. Prevention is the best defense. Landowners should:
• clearly mark property boundaries and monitor logging activity on their property;
• communicate with neighbors about activities on their properties;
• use Cooperating Timber Harvesters or Certified Loggers;
• check references, and be sure the reference is a landowner and past customer of the logger proposing to harvest your land;
• execute sound sales contracts; and
• monitor timber harvests - check the number of loads taken, the names on the trucks hauling the timber and the license plates of trailers.
Always get professional help before agreeing to a sale. Ask a Cooperating Forester or a DEC service forester for advice. It will be time and effort well spent.
Contact the nearest NYS DEC Regional Forestry office, your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office, or the New York Forest Owners Association (1-800-836-3566) for advice on timber sales.
See the DEC website for more information on timber theft.
