Four Chesterfield County men face federal charges in connection with the theft of pine straw from Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Attorney W. Walter Wilkins said in a press release.
Ray Edward Miller, 50, of Mt. Croghan, and Curtis Funderburk, 51, Willie Harris, 48, and Alonzo Blakeney, 47, all of Pageland, are charged with theft of government property.
Federal agents said the men raked and removed large amounts of pine straw earlier this year from the refuge, located near McBee, altering the protected wildlife habitat. The estimated commercial value of the stolen pine straw is about $5,000.
The maximum penalty each man faces is a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison.
Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day II of the Florence office has been assigned to prosecute the case, which was investigated the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Pine straw thefts are more common than most people realize, Matthew Crow, Forestry Commission officer for Sand Hills State Forest, said in an interview with the Morning News in April.
Pine straw and timber sales are the only sources of income for the commission, Crow said.
The commission leases parcels of land to people who collect and bale pine straw and then sell it to local stores or residents who want to spruce up their property.
By law, about 25 percent of the money earned by the commission on timber and pine straw sales goes to school districts in Kershaw, Chesterfield and Darlington, Crow said.
Anyone with information on people stealing pine straw from Sand Hills State Forest is asked to call the state Crime Stoppers hotline at (888) CRIME-SC (274-6372) or visit www.sccrimestoppers.com online. Callers need not reveal their identities.
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