Man Charged with Striking Ranger with ATV

Written by WHTM-TV

Friday, May 07, 2010

Myles Snyder

Lykens, Pa. - A state forest ranger who tried to stop a man from driving an ATV on a state roadway was intentionally struck by the driver of the off-road vehicle, who left the ranger lying in the roadway with a broken leg, according to state police in Lykens.

Police have arrested 20-year-old Michael Matter III, of Williamstown, in connection with the Thursday afternoon afternoon in the area of White Oak Road in the Weiser State Forest.

Police said Matter initially slowed down for Nicola Zulli, but then quickly accelerated and ran down the ranger.

Other rangers with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and state police found Matter at a residence in Jackson Township, Dauphin County. He was taken into custody and later confessed to the incident, police said.

Matter was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, simple assault, fleeing and eluding police, accidents involving death and personal injury, driving under suspension, reckless driving, and several other summary traffic offenses.

He was placed in Dauphin County Prison on $250,000 bail.

Source: http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0510/733672.html

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“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