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Local men accused of being Big Jay trail cutters plead innocent in Orleans District Court Tuesday |
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Wednesday, 12 September 2007 |
by STEVE BLAKE
Express Staff Writer
Two men pled innocent Tuesday to felony unlawful mischief charges for allegedly cutting their own ski trail on state property on Big Jay Mountain.
Alan Ritter, 46, of Jay, and Paul Poulin, 47, of Newport, were released without bail on the condition they stay away from the mountain.
An affidavit from Fish and Wildlife Warden Bradley Mann says the men cut a 3,000-foot strip down the mountain ranging from 16 feet to 65 feet wide. The slope of the trail was 72 percent to 75 percent in places and included a cliff face and a small stream, according to the affidavit.
Ritter and Poulin allegedly cut 873 trees, mostly one to three inches in diameter, valued at $36,337, and an additional 92 trees between four to six inches in diameter. Many of the stumps were 12 inches in diameter.
The total replacement value based on estimates from local nurseries and landscapers was $47,883, not including labor, according to the affidavit.
If they are convicted, Ritter and Poulin could face up to five years and $5,000 in fines.
The illegal cutting came to light on July 12 when Mann received a call from State Forester Tony Smith, who had been called by the tram operator at Jay Peak reporting the cutting, Mann's affidavit says.
Mann and another warden went to the mountain on July 15 and saw the fresh cutting down the east slope of the mountain. Mann says he found a tarp covering a chain saw, a pole saw, and lopping shears. The equipment was still at the site when they returned July 21, according to the affidavit.
Late that afternoon, Russ Ford of the Green Mountain Club called Mann from the mountain saying he believed the suspected cutters were there and walking toward the equipment. They were evasive when Ford asked them where they were hiking, he told Mann. They were not wearing hiking gear.
Mann arrived a little more than a half-hour later, when Ford showed him the vehicle, a Volkswagen Passat, in the Jay Peak parking lot in which he thought the men had arrived. In the back seat was a bank statement with Ritter's name and address.
A short time later, a pickup "swooped in quickly" near the car. One man got out, threw a canvas pack into the pickup bed, and went to the car. Ford told Mann that they were the men he saw earlier on the mountain, the affidavit says.
A dispatcher gave him the address of the owner of the Passat, but could not find a current address for the owner of the pickup. The dispatcher told him the truck belonged to Poulin, the affidavit says.
Mann met Ritter at his home where he admitted he was on the mountain that day. The affidavit says he was extremely nervous and he changed his story several times about why he was there. He did not then admit to cutting the trees.
Ritter gave the warden Poulin's address, and Mann interviewed him there later in the evening. Poulin also admitted being at Big Jay mountain that day but did not acknowledge cutting the trees. He told the warden he is a skier who has skied off-trail at Big Jay Mountain.
The wardens went to the mountain two days later and found that the equipment had been taken, the affidavit says.
Mann found the Passat in Westmore and waited for Ritter. Both men walked off the Mount Pisgah hiking trail and confessed to cutting the trees at Jay, Mann's affidavit says. They told him they talked it over while hiking, and when they saw Mann's truck they decided that to confess would be the right thing to do.
The men gave Mann sworn written statements, according to the affidavit. Poulin took Mann to where he stashed the equipment. The warden kept the equipment as evidence. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 13 September 2007 )
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