DOJ

Forest Service Officer Kris Fairbanks' dog, Radar, sits atop what was left of an old-growth cedar tree.

TACOMA, Wash. - Forest Service Officer Kristine Fairbanks, who was killed in the line of duty over the weekend, was the lead investigator in a massive illegal cutting of old growth timber in Olympic National Forest.

The three men arrested in that case pleaded guilty on Monday.

Craig James, 47, of Aberdeen; Bruce Brown, 47, of Humptulips; and Floyd Stutesman, 48, of Hoquiam, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to conspiring to steal and damage 31 old growth western cedar trees in the Olympic National Forest. Some of the trees were nearly 600 years old.

Forest Service officers located the theft site after about 30 cords of cedar had been removed and sold to local mills. The defendants provided false documentation indicating the wood had been harvested from private property near Pacific Beach, Wash.

A substantial quantity of the wood was considered "music wood," highly valued by manufacturers of musical instruments and only found in older trees.

The three face up to five years in prison, a $250,000 criminal fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

Fairbanks was shot and killed near Sequim over the weekend while conducting patrol duties in the Olympic National Forest.

United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Jeffrey C. Sullivan, praised Officer Fairbanks' efforts and dedication.

"The local law enforcement community has lost a true guardian of our treasured natural resources," he said. "This successful prosecution was the result of her commitment to ensuring that those resources will be preserved for future generations. Officer Fairbanks was a dedicated public servant who will be greatly missed."