SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A federal jury convicted a man from Eagle Rock for destroying forest land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Investigtors say Aaron Dalton, 64, bulldozed and cut down trees on federal land near the Roaring River Bridge on Table Rock Lake.
Dalton owns the property adjoining the federal land. A landscape appraiser estimates the damage to the property caused by Dalton’s bulldozing operation is $15,000.
The U.S. District Court jury deliberated less than an hour before returning the guilty verdict on Tuesday, ending a two-day trial. Under federal statutes, Dalton is subject to a sentence of up to one year in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000 and an order of restitution.
U.S. Magistrate James England will set a sentencing hearing after a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. The Corps investigated the case.
