Ranchers are furious after an armed federal agent stormed the land of a South Dakota couple, who now face 10 years in prison for a fence if convicted of the charges.
Charles and Heather Maude, both 39, of Caputa, were separately indicted by the grand jury for alleged theft of government property on June 24 by Forest Service Special Agent Travis Lunders, who showed up at their door unannounced, armed and in full tactical gear, according to State of the Cowboys Diary.
“It’s stressful, both financially and mentally,” Charles told the outlet. “It’s something no one should have to go through.”
The couple are not allowed to discuss the case with each other as they were served separately. They must also seek their own legal counsel and face up to 10 years in prison or a $250,000 fine each.
Lunders brought the charge after the government alleged the couple had built a fence on federal rangeland.
There has been ongoing tension between the Forest Service and ranchers in the area, which has only increased since the allegations against the Maudes, according to Rachel Gabel, assistant editor of The fence post he told the Daily.
Charles and Heather Maude, both 39, of Caputa, were separately indicted by the grand jury on June 24 by Forest Service Special Agent Travis Lunders, who showed up at their door unannounced, armed and in full tactical gear.
“It’s stressful, financially and mentally,” Charles told the outlet. “It’s something no one should have to go through.” Lunders served the indictment on them after the government claimed the couple had put up a fence on federal rangeland, leaving them facing charges of alleged theft of government property. (Pictured: Part of the Maudes’ land)
“The Forest Service has long said it wants to be a good neighbor, and shooting at soft targets is not being a good neighbor,” he said.
Many in the area say the case went from “zero to 120 mph in 87 days” and many are angry, he said.
Their dispute with the Forest Service began March 29, when they were told to remove a “no hunting” sign from one of the posts marking the government property.
The service reportedly received a complaint from a hunter about the sign, prompting it to be removed, though the couple say they have never seen documentation of the complaint.
Just over a month later, the couple met with Forest Service District Ranger Julie Wheeler, where it was decided that a survey of the land was needed to determine the property boundaries, Gabel told The Daily.
The couple are not allowed to discuss the case with each other as they were served separately. They must also seek their own legal services and face 10 years in prison or a $250,000 fine each if convicted of the charges.
Five days later, Lunders showed up at the couple’s property with a surveying crew, without making any prior improvements. Wheeler had told the couple it could be up to a year before their land was surveyed.
Then, on June 24 – 87 days after the first dispute – Lunders emerged again with the accusations.
The couple’s troubles even reached the House Natural Resources Committee after Senator Mike Rounds wrote a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“This action represents a direct conflict with an agreed-upon plan, in which the landowners were working in cooperation with the USFS to resolve the problem,” he told his political colleague, according to Western Livestock Magazine (Lesson 1).
Their dispute with the Forest Service began March 29, when they were told to remove a “no hunting” sign from one of the posts marking the government property.
The Maude family had a lease with USFS for about 60 years, where the fence location was acknowledged each time, according to Rounds.
The fence was reportedly built in 1950, before the permit agreement was issued.
“Criminal prosecution appears unnecessary and conflicts with USDA’s stated good neighbor practices regarding land management practices,” Rounds wrote.
He called the Forest Service’s actions “over-prosecution of a ranching family in my state.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Land Council (PLC) also issued a statement, saying the Forest Service and U.S. Attorney’s Office had “maliciously targeted and prosecuted these family ranchers, and it’s clear that if this can happen in South Dakota, government action can happen anywhere,” according to Western Livestock Journal.
“This case is a prime example of what can happen when federal agencies view ranchers as enemies, rather than partners,” PLC President Mark Roeber said, according to WLJ.
‘I urge the U.S. Forest Service to reconsider its plan to handcuff these hard-working ranchers and instead find an alternative solution to this problem.’
The Maude family had a lease with USFS for approximately 60 years, where the fence location was acknowledged each time
Charles’ family has been in the cattle business since 1907, when Thomas Maude purchased the land, according to the family website.
Charles bought part of the land in 2002 at the age of 17 and a year later, when his grandfather died, he bought the rest with the help of his parents.
TO GoFundMe A law firm has been set up so that the couple can pay their legal fees separately.
“The Maude family has owned the parcel in question from the U.S. Forest Service since the Forest Service came into existence and has managed that same land since 1913. The family has never been informed that they were violating any rules and to this day the family maintains their grazing agreement in good standing,” Katie Dirksen wrote in the fundraiser.
GoFundMe has raised $18,700 of its $77,000 goal as of Saturday afternoon.