Gary L. Brown, 56, of Snohomish, Washington, has been sentenced in federal court for damage he inflicted on park property last fall. Brown was ordered to pay the Service $63,580.80 in restitution. Brown earlier admitted in a guilty plea to knowingly and unlawfully cleared 7.6 acres of park land between 2001 and 2004 while he was developing a 66 lot subdivision named “Roosevelt Views” that overlooks Lake Roosevelt near Keller Ferry. The damaged park land is situated between Roosevelt Views and Lake Roosevelt. Brown used heavy equipment to clear the land, which consisted largely of mature bitterbrush trees that had grown in places to a height of 10 feet. The $63,580.80 in restitution will pay the National Park Service for the cost to restore the land to its natural condition. “The park lands at Lake Roosevelt are a national treasure and must be protected,” said James McDevitt, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “These open spaces are for the use and enjoyment of the public and illegal encroachment onto and destruction of these lands will not be tolerated.” This investigation was conducted by the National Park Service and was prosecuted by Jared C. Kimball, assistant U.S. attorney for the district.
