By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com
A federal jury in Sacramento has convicted a Glenn County man for destroying trees and other plants in the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge.
Dean Lundie, 59, of Orland was convicted Thursday of unauthorized taking from a National Wildlife Refuge; destruction of natural objects from a National Wildlife Refuge; unlawfully cutting, injuring or destroying trees on United States land; and trespassing on a National Wildlife Refuge.
The guilty verdict was returned after a four-day trial before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
According to testimony presented at trial, Lundie cut down more than 35 trees in the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge, took the cut wood for himself, destroyed additional plants on the refuge land by pouring gravel and trespassed by exceeding the scope of his allowable access on the refuge land.
Lundie owns property adjacent to the refuge, which has an easement to allow him access to his well on the refuge property, but he was not authorized to do any of the acts for which he was prosecuted, officials said.
Lundie is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Newman on May 18.
Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.
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