AUGUSTA, Maine — Two Aroostook County men were charged Wednesday by Maine Forest Service Rangers in connection with damage done to an ATV trail by their motor vehicles.
Ryan O’Neal, 29, of Fort Fairfield and Kyle Sirois, 20, of Fort Kent have each been charged with operating a passenger vehicle on an ATV trail, a Class E crime punishable by up to six months in jail and a $500 fine, according to a press release from the Maine Forest Service.
Both men will appear in Maine District Court in Fort Kent in July.
Maine Forest Service Ranger Craig Caron was on patrol Tuesday when he found truck tracks on an ATV trail in Township 17 Range 3, west of Van Buren, according to Maine Forest Service Sgt. Lance Martin of the Portage office.
During an investigation, Caron discovered two pickup trucks that became stuck as they drove down the ATV trail. He interviewed O’Neal and Sirois and determined that they were out “mudding,” or intentionally operating their vehicles on the trail. They had traveled about 150 yards on the trail before getting stuck.
The land on which Caron discovered the alleged “mudders” is owned by Irving Woodlands Ltd., the state’s largest landowner.
To report instances of mudding call the Maine Forest Service at 800-750-9777.
Seizure of the vehicle should be added to any penalty. Might serve a deterrent in future cases.
Give me a break. Its mud season and people like to play in the mud we all can’t be old foagies who sit at home dreaming up laws to ruin other peoples day.
As long as it is on your own land or with permission on somebody elses.
Well why don’t you buy some land an have all those people come over an tear it all up with your blessing
My family owns a few hundred acres between the county an bowdoin and we have never stoped wheelers , snowmobilers , or mudders as long as they stay on the old skidder trails. I am damn near sixty but still like to take the old mud truck out an play. i’m just sick an tired of all these pompus aholes who want to take the fun out of life. When these tree huggers get thier way we won’t be able to cut a christmas tree and yes I understand how i and other land owners feel about the few idiots who tear up our fields and new growth trees but if the trail is nothing more than an old woods road why not?
Are you related to the individual that went for a joy ride on the logging equipment ????
NO !!!
6 months in jail (potentially) for this, and 90 days in jail for breaking your baby’s leg. Sorry, but does anyone else get as frustrated with this stuff as I do?
Its the ignorence of people like these, that is ruining the fun and enjoyment for the ones that do obey the laws and are thankful for the access and land to ride on. Personally I think they should have to go out and helpfix the trails. Maybe then they would learn!
They should have to go out and fix the mess they created but 6 months in jail. Come on they have arrested crack heads out making meth in apartments and they don’t have that amount of time hanging over their heads.
Agree with both of you. They should be handed shovels and rakes and made to fix the trail and pay a fine. But jail time? No. Just a couple of stupid kids acting like we did when we were stupid kids.
Stupid kids, Ryan O’Neal, 29?
oops. I thought I saw they were both 20. The font used, and my haste in reading, made the 9 look like a 0. I guess “Mister” O’Neal should have known better…
Couldn’t those boys have found their own mud puddle to play in?
The possible sentence is absurd in this case. Make them pay for the repairs.
I must say this country is going to h–l , I no longer live in the county but i’ll tell you some people have to much time on thier hands if they don’t have anything else to do but dream up B.S. laws like this. Would they rather have these people out raising hell around town? Thank god they did’nt have these stupid rules back in the 60’s half the county would be in prison,think about it ! A skidder will do more damage in five minutes than a couple of red neck county boys with pickups can do in a day. we just have to many tree huggers in augusta. Talk about wasteing tax dollars .
I have a field road that was destroyed by someone out for a joy ride.I can’t use the road now without gravel being put it.I’ll tell you one thing,if I caught the S.O.B’S that did it it,they would be happy for a Ranger to come along..Ignorance,that is all it is plain and simple.Stupid rules my a**! Oh,one other thing,Sign right at the entrance ** Keep out **,big red letters….
Last fall I had someone in a scoby doo forester tear up the trails I use to go tipping out back of my mother in laws. All land back there is posted but that didnt stop this guy from chewing things up so bad we can no longer get out to that area without a skidder. AND this person ended up geting buried up past the rocker panels and left his car there….and we are stuck fixing HIS mess !!
If he left his car there, then you can identify him and get him charged at least with tresspassing, maybe some sort of destruction of property?
Take him to court and sue him……but that would go nowhere. He got his car out after three days.
I am sorry that someone ruined your field , i am talking about old skidder paths . If you don’t want people in there put a chain across the entrance and hang your sign off that, then i’ll bet they see it. But as far as people who post thier property i remember a sign where i hunt it said ” IF YOU POST YOUR LAND THAN STAY THE F**K OFF MINE” and i believe in that theory!!!!!
Anyone who thinks that this type of behavior is okay, obviously has no respect for PRIVATE land owners or for those of us that like to legally enjoy the access to PRIVATE land and really do appreciate the land owners that allow us to do it. Almost every trail in this state (at some point) crosses privately owned land. It is people like this that cause the land owners to limit, or even close off the access to the trails and I can’t say that I blame them. I used to be able to leave from my house and get to Greenville. Now, because of people with no respect, one land owner stopped allowing access to his land so we now have to trailer to Abbott which takes about 25 miles each way out of our trip. I understand that this is Maine and people (including myself) like to play in the mud, but grow up and do it the right way!
Very well said. If it was their own land then the tables would turn. These laws are to protect the landonwers and not ignorant people like a few in previous comments.
This is just crazy talk about a waste of time and money….. How about drunk drivers they spend 48 hours on the dam weekend and these guys are looking at 6 months!!!!!! Whats wrong with this picture tell me.
This is just crazy talk about a waste of time and money….. How about drunk drivers they spend 48 hours on the dam weekend and these guys are looking at 6 months!!!!!! Whats wrong with this picture tell me.
Closed the trail and posted my property because of this type of action.
I can completely understand your decision to do that. However, I hope that you allow the people that respect your land AND ask permission to still get through.
like i said” IF YOU POST YOUR LAND THEN STAY THE F**K OFF MINE”
It’s nice to see a law enforcement agency, the Forest Rangers, that are concerned with helping out land owners instead of bothering them.
That’s what is wrong with this State and Country now…Alot of people feel some sort of entitlement and therefore do whatever the heck they want and could care less about what they say, what they do, who they hurt..etc….
If you post your land then all you get is aholes on your property. If you keep your land open you have the free patrol of respectable land users, your friends! I usually get some damage on my 35 acres of land every spring and fall, but it always fixes itself during the summer. The land is going nowhere. People take this stuff way overboard! you’ve got children in Maine taking bath salts, we’ve got parents beating harmless children, drug abusers everywhere. I am a land owner and would not consider closing my land because of two irresponsible men. I would simply ask them to repair it when it hardens. Basically pass a back blade over it a few times and it’s fixed.
These are the kind of people who ruin the fun for everyone else..