Wayne County Man Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Role in Theft of Timber from Public Land

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jeff Allen Parsons, 28, of Genoa, pleaded guilty today to unlawful destruction of timber and was sentenced to a 90-day term of incarceration and ordered to pay $1,465.29 in restitution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 8, 2023, Parsons traveled with co-defendants Ronald Lee Frye and Eugene Luther Cochran onto public land at or near East Lynn with intent to cut and remove multiple trees illegally from the property. Parsons admitted that he assisted in cutting down the trees while on the property, and that they broke open a metal gate located on the property to bring their truck closer to one of the cut trees.

Parsons further admitted that they attempted to leave the property after they were spotted by employees of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Charges against Frye, 33, of Wayne, and Cochran, 36, of Genoa, are pending. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, and the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

United States Magistrate Judge Joseph K. Reeder presided over the hearing and imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes and former Assistant United States Attorney Owen Reynolds prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-161.

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