Man who diverted national park river to ease boat access on Lake Michigan convicted of misdemeanors
Also: Man Convicted Of Tampering And Vandalism At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Michigan)
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Source: Associated Press
Man who diverted national park river to ease boat access on Lake Michigan convicted of misdemeanors
Updated 1:42 PM EST, February 8, 2024
EMPIRE, Mich. (AP) — A man accused of diverting a national park river to ease boat access to Lake Michigan has been convicted of two misdemeanors.
Andrew Howard of Frankfort was found guilty of tampering and vandalism Wednesday during a brief trial in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Ray Kent.
In August 2022, a National Park Service ranger witnessed Howard digging with a shovel so the Platte River in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore would be diverted into one of the Great Lakes, prosecutors said in a court filing.
“Within days, the natural power of the water and the constructed dam caused the river to divert and created a new channel to Lake Michigan that grew to approximately 200 feet (61 meters) wide,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Biksacky said.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/river-diversion-national-lakeshore-michigan-f8da07b99019f9f67a4f9ccf977eb1a3
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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Michigan
Man Convicted Of Tampering And Vandalism At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Andrew Blair Howard, 63, of Frankfort, Michigan was convicted of tampering and vandalism at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in connection with an August 15, 2022, diversion of the Platte River. Both crimes are federal misdemeanors.
“The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a Michigan jewel,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Every year countless visitors enjoy its pristine waters, towering sand dunes, and rolling forests. Mr. Howard had a policy dispute with the National Park Service and took matters into his own hands, breaking the law rather than using lawful means to advocate for his position. His actions resulted in significant financial and ecological harm and altered the landscape so many enjoyed. Today and always my office commits to protect Michigan’s natural treasures.”
The Platte River flows through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore before it empties into Lake Michigan. In the summer, paddlers, tube floaters, and beachgoers drift down its meandering waters. In August 2022, National Park Service law enforcement officers investigated reports of a diversion of the Platte River near its mouth. On August 15, 2022, Howard used a shovel to dig sediment and rocks from the river basin and stacked large rocks on a dam to divert the river’s natural water flow toward a newly created channel out to Lake Michigan, contrary to a decision by the National Park Service to let the river follow its natural course. The diversion created an unauthorized access for large boats to enter Platte Bay. Within days, the natural power of the water and the dam caused the new channel to reach approximately 200 feet wide.
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In a bench trial, federal Magistrate Judge Ray Kent convicted Howard of two counts: one count of tampering (Count 1) and one count of vandalism (Count 2), under Title 36 C.F.R. § 2.31(a)(2) and (3) respectively, which provides for the proper use and protection of natural resources within areas under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. In so ruling, Judge Kent held that the defendant “intended to and in fact did divert the flow of the Platte River into Platte Bay.”
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Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmi/pr/2024_0207_Sleeping_Bear_Dunes_Conviction
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