King County suing for millions after homeowners allegedly damage 140+ public trees
King County is suing a group of homeowners and the people they may have hired for millions of dollars, claiming they illegally cut down or damaged more than 140 trees on public land in Issaquah.
Residents at the bottom of the hill near Grand Ridge Park were alerted to the issue when their trail camera captured a large log barreling down the hill toward their homes.
'It was going so fast, so it was just incredibly unsafe,' said Caitlin McNulty.
The log landed just a few hundred feet from McNulty's backyard in a wooded area where her two-year-old son likes to play.
'It was really scary for our family,' she said.
McNulty's husband and neighbor went to investigate what happened, and they discovered that several other trees had been cut or damaged up the hill.
They reported it to the county, which is now suing a group of homeowners (and the people they may have hired) who they claim are responsible.
'These are shared resources,' McNulty said. 'It's not something that can be rebuilt easily, like all of those trees took hundreds of years to grow.'
King County said 142 trees were damaged in a variety of ways, including ones that were cut, split, topped, or debarked. The trees were all on public land, and the homeowners and companies responsible did not have permits or authorization to cut them.
The trees were all part of Grand Ridge Park, a 'lush 1,200-acre forest' that is 'maintained as a natural resource preservation space for passive recreation including hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers, naturalists, and other recreational activities and environmental benefits,' according to the county.
The county says at least one tree 'negligently' flew down the hillside and nearly crossed a road, 'posing a risk of serious injury or death,' according to the county.
The county says the homeowners did this to try to benefit their properties, and that at least one of the homes now has a significantly better view of West Tiger Mountain.
King County is seeking damages of more than $7 million from the defendants, as well as any other fees to compensate for negligence or trespassing. The county is also asking for an additional civil penalty that could include the amount of increased home value as a result of the improved views of the mountain.
'I think they're taking a really serious stand because it is easy sometimes for people to do this and they can get away with it pretty easily,' McNulty said. 'It's difficult to gain access to that piece of land, and I think that that's true in a lot of places. So I think it's really important that people know there are consequences.'
KIRO 7 attempted to contact the defendants, but did not receive a response from those with readily available contract information.
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