WHEELING, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The United States Attorney’s Office has filed a civil lawsuit against John R. Fox, a Randolph County logger, and his company, Fox Logging, LLC, for allegedly trespassing and cutting down approximately 10 acres of timber within the Monongahela National Forest near Slaty Fork.
The complaint states that Fox and his company, based in Valley Bend, WV, had submitted paperwork to timber 319 acres of private property adjacent to the Monongahela National Forest in Pocahontas County.
However, the logging operation, which began in 2015 and continued until at least 2019, allegedly extended into the national forest, resulting in the unauthorized cutting of more than 45,500 cubic feet of mature hardwood and pine saw timber valued at nearly $28,000.
Fox is accused of damaging and removing timber from an adjacent private property.
Under West Virginia state law, the government is seeking $80,189.04 in monetary damages from Fox and his company, along with compensatory and punitive damages.
The trial is scheduled to begin on October 20, 2025, at the United States Courthouse in Elkins.
The lawsuit was filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maximillian Nogay, with the investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
