SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Colorado man has pleaded “no contest” to two misdemeanors in a case of a corral gate being closed on Lime Ridge in Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Monday that 63-year-old Mark Franklin, of Durango, Colorado, entered a no contest “plea in abeyance” to trespassing on state trust lands and attempted criminal mischief. A felony charge of trying to kill livestock was dropped.
Franklin’s “plea in abeyance” means the charges will be dismissed after one year if Franklin commits no other offenses.
Franklin says he is innocent of all charges and pleaded no contest because he did nothing wrong.
The alleged crime, which San Juan County prosecutors described as a calculated attempt to kill cattle and disrupt a livestock operation, occurred on April Fools’ Day 2017.
___
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.