FAIRBANKS — Two Fairbanks brothers have been accused of illegally cutting wood on state land and then trying to sell it on Craigslist.
Arthur Edward Hughes, 45, and Gerald Thomas Hughes, 46, were arraigned in court Sunday on theft charges, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. The judge entered not guilty pleas for the two men, who have both been released on their own recognizance.
According to a criminal complaint, Alaska State Parks rangers spotted Gerald Hughes' truck loaded with cut firewood at the Chena River State Recreation Area. One of the rangers suspected that he was going to sell the wood on Craigslist.
The complaint states that a ranger called a number listed on a Craigslist ad and a man identifying himself as "Art" allegedly offered to sell the wood to him for $300.
Another state employee met the brothers at a gas station to make the transaction, and they were then taken into custody.
Arthur and Gerald Hughes were initially charged with theft, commercial activities in a state park and disturbance of natural objects in a state-managed area. But the second and third counts were dropped at the Sunday hearing after Magistrate Judge Romano DiBenedetto said he did not have enough probable cause to support the charges.
Arthur Hughes offered to "take the rap" for his brother and told DiBenedetto the state had "many things incorrect here."
"I went to grab some wood from my wood pile and the next thing I know I'm in jail," Arthur Hughes said. "Can I continue my work? I have a tree service. That's what I do for a living."