ELKINS — A Randolph County logging company is facing a civil lawsuit from the United States Attorney’s Office for logging in a National Forest that could result in them paying more than $80,000 in monetary damages.

The United States Attorney’s Office has filed a civil lawsuit against John R. Fox and Fox Logging, LLC, of Valley Bend for trespassing and cutting down approximately 10 acres of timber on the Monongahela National Forest near Slaty Fork in Pocahontas County.

The criminal complaint was filed for the government by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maximillian Nogay.

According to the complaint, an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service found that Fox allegedly encroached on nearly 10 acres of the National Forest, which resulted in the cutting of more than 45,500 cubic feet of mature hardwood and pine saw timber. The amount of timber cut was valued at nearly $28,000.

Fox is also accused of damaging and taking timber from an adjacent private property that he did not have permission to cut in.

Fox submitted paperwork to timber 319 acres of private property that borders the Monongahela National Forest in Pocahontas County. Logging allegedly began in 2015 and continued until at least 2019.

The case was investigated by the Forest Service as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Environmental Justice Initiative, which “enforces federal laws to protect environmental quality and human health in all communities within the district,” according to the the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia’s official website.

Under West Virginia state law, the government is seeking $80,189.04 in monetary damages from Fox and Fox Logging, LLC, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. This case was investigated as a part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Environmental Justice Initiative. 

The trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 20, 2025, and will take place at the United States Courthouse in Elkins.

The United States Attorney’s Office encourages the public to report suspected environmental violations within the district. Reports may be submitted to USAWVN.EJ@usdoj.gov or by calling 304-234-0100.