LOGAN COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Two men face charges after they cut and damaged another man’s trees, causing them to die likely.
West Virginia State Police say Matthew Newsome and Jeffery Hodge were actively cutting and damaging another man’s trees on his posted property. Police observed the suspects with three one-hundred-pound feed sacks stuffed with slippery elm bark. Both men admitted they illegally cut off of the victim’s property.
Police say the damage to the trees will likely cause them to die soon. It’s estimated that both men caused over 2,500 in damages.
Both Hodge and Newsome were charged with wrongful injury to timber, conspiracy to commit a felony, and trespassing.