CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio – A Pickaway County judge has sided with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) in a dispute over the illegal removal of trees from state land. The court determined that John C. Knauff, Joseph Knauff, and Jonathan Knauff were responsible for cutting down and selling 315 trees from state-owned property, an act the family admitted to during proceedings.
The ruling found the Knauffs liable for trespassing, profiting from the timber, and failing to compensate the state, awarding ODNR $85,805.98 in damages. The judgment includes $35,805.98 for the trees’ market value and $50,000 for the costs of repairing the land.
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