Department of Agriculture and Forestry, State of Louisiana - Mike Strain DVM, Commissioner

NEWS

Timber Theft Arrest in Bossier Parish

December 30, 2015

An investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) has resulted in the arrest of a Minden man on two counts of felony timber theft.

Bennie Moore, 62, of 484 Deerfield Blvd., was arrested Wednesday morning and booked into the Bossier Parish Detention Center.

The arrest is the result of a complaint filed by several Plain Dealing landowners who are heirs to 76 acres of timberland located off Sam Booker Road, south of Plain Dealing.

According to investigators, Moore’s business, Piney Woods Timber Co., signed a contract with nine heirs in which he paid them just over $61,000 in July 2015. Investigators say Moore then sold the timber to a logging contractor in Sarepta who cut the timber. Several additional heirs then discovered the timber was cut. Investigators say they contacted Moore who offered them a fraction of what he had paid the original nine heirs.

Investigators say there are approximately 50 heirs involved on two separate tracts. Moore was reportedly arrested on five previous occasions since 2000 for similar activities.

Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said, “Under the state’s 80 percent statute, loggers must obtain at least 80 percent consent from the heirs before timber can be purchased. Our investigators take these complaints very seriously and we work closely with our landowners and loggers to ensure that the logging is done in a professional manner. Timber is a long term investment and we want to make sure that both parties operate legally.”

The LDAF is continuing its investigation and asking the public if they have had any business dealings in the past three years with Moore. If so, please contact the department at (225) 925-4500.

Moore’s bond was set at $100,000.

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