A federal lawsuit has been filed against a West Virginia logger and his logging company for trespassing and harvesting timber in Monongahela National Forest.
John R. Fox and Fox Logging, LLC, of Valley Bend are accused of cutting down about 10 acres of timber in the Monongahela National Forest near Slaty Fork, beginning in 2015 through at least 2019. Eyewitness News reported that the timber was valued at nearly $28,000. Fox was also accused of damaging and taking timber from an adjacent private property. Prosecutors said they are seeking more than $80,000 in monetary damages, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. The trial is set for Oct. 20 in Elkins.