Sheriff's office seeing increase in illegal ATV use

Written by Savannah Morning News

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Cory Dickstein

SPRINGFIELD - The illegal use of all-terrain vehicles throughout the county will not go unpunished, Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie said Tuesday.

"Deputies have stepped up patrols and will be enforcing county ordinances as well as state laws," he said in response to a number of incidents around the county where ATV riders have caused damage to residents' properties.

Sheriff's spokesman David Ehsanipoor said riders who cause more than $500 of damage to property can be charged with criminal damage to property, which is a felony.

McDuffie said they've seen cases with much more than $500 of damage done.

"In one incident, someone drove an ATV in a farmer's field, causing over a thousand dollars in damage to his property," the sheriff said.

Most of the reports have come out of the Clyo area.

"We will prosecute any individuals trespassing or driving ATVs on roadways," McDuffie said.

Source: http://savannahnow.com/effingham-now/2010-06-23/sheriffs-office-seeing-increase-illegal-atv-use

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Community Voices

“As a rancher who leases public lands for cattle, I’ve seen my share of cut fences and rangeland damaged by ORV use. I’ve also experienced ORV trespass onto my private lands. But I’ve had no way to identify the culprits when reporting trespass or illegal ORV use to local law enforcement. Congress should require that ORVs used on public lands have visible identification plates or decals. Doing so would remove the anonymity enjoyed by ORV riders who are bent on breaking the rules.”

- Ambers Thornburgh, second-generation rancher from Oregon who grazes cattle on his private land and adjacent lands leased from the Bureau of Land Management