A man in Washington caught cutting chunks of cedar logs from under a logging bridge with the intent of selling them on the black market showed no remorse and now faces the consequences of his destructive actions.
Troy Crandall, 63, of Forks was sentenced to 17.5 months in prison and ordered to pay $20,220 in restitution after being convicted for malicious mischief in the first degree, theft in the second degree and trafficking in stolen property in the first degree, the Jefferson County Prosecutor General announced.
In October, a hunter reported an active cedar theft taking place behind a locked Department of Natural Resources gate. When DNR officer Allan Nelson arrived at the scene, he found freshly cut cedar blocks and two men sitting in a nearby vehicle.
“The two men were cold, wet, covered in cedar saw dust, and smelled of chainsaw gas,” the Prosecutor General stated. “Officer Nelson asked the passenger what was going on, and Mr. Crandall interjected ‘this is corporate bull—; this bridge is just rotting away.’…
“Mr. Crandall stated he had lived in the area for a long time but ultimately stated he was ‘sorry, not sorry.’”
In sentencing Crandall, Judge Keith Harper said the defendant showed no remorse and no defense for the three charges.
The damage to the bridge created danger to others. Officials were forced to close the bridge, thus restricting access to a section of forest from fire fighters and search and rescue.
“He basically deconstructed a bridge,” Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Anna Phillips said, as reported in the Peninsula Daily News. “This isn’t someone who just picked up some cedar.”
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“Officer Nelson has twenty plus years of law enforcement experience and it showed in the quality of his investigation,” Prosecutor James Kennedy said. “It is great to have professionals like him protecting our natural resources. This case also highlights the importance that everyone of us plays in promoting public safety. Had not the hunter called this case in, the damage might have gone unnoticed until the bridge collapsed under the weight of a passing vehicle.”
Crandall’s accomplice pled guilty and was sentenced as a first-time offender to 12 months of DOC community custody and ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution.
“When a person pleads or is found guilty of a felony and is sentenced in Washington State, they become labeled an offender and are monitored for a period of time by a state official,” Rhodes Legal Group in Seattle explained. “This state monitoring process is called community custody, a term that has replaced what used to be called parole.”
Phillips told the court Crandall had 15 warrants for his arrest—with one active—and a history of failing to appear in court. Harper highlighted that Salinas has had more than 90 warrants for his arrest over the last 40 years and a history of bail jumping and failure to appear in court.
“To those who get caught endangering the public and DNR staff: ‘Sorry, not sorry,’” the DNR tweeted.
Photos courtesy of Jefferson County Washington.
