Prison sentence given for theft of lumber

An Idaho man was sentenced to a year in prison Monday for his role in one of the largest timber theft cases on record.

Stites resident John R. McHone, 44, worked with four other men to steal at least $17,000 worth of firewood from the Nez Perce National Forest during the summer of 2003, according to federal court records.

The group cut down 87 trees without permission, making it the largest volume of green timber illegally cut from the region’s federal land, according to a statement issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Nez Perce National Forest is located between the Salmon and Lochsa rivers in north-central Idaho.

In March, McHone’s three firewood-cutting accomplices were each sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution to the national forest. Each had pleaded guilty to lesser misdemeanor charges as part of a plea bargain agreement, according to court records.

The men were Grangeville resident Kevin S. Bradley, Kamiah resident Wilsen W. Shontakka and Westley “Brent” Keck of Kooskia.

McHone pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft of government property and was the only one to receive prison time. After his release, McHone will spend three years on probation.

McHone said he was approached by Keck to join a group that sold firewood because he “had a truck which was capable of carrying large loads,” according to court documents, which state that McHone is a high school dropout who has lived the majority of his life in poverty. McHone also has a lengthy criminal history, involving mainly alcohol-related offenses.

McHone’s court-appointed attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The Forest Service and U.S. attorney’s office also did not return phone calls seeking further information on the case.