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By Fran Emmons: GREENVILLE - When the crew for Precision Trucking returned to their timber harvest site early on Monday morning (June 16), they got a rude surprise; their fuel truck was laying on its side and their heavy equipment moved around and damaged. The logging operation was located in Beaver Cove at a remote spot on the side of Prong Pond Mountain. Crew chief Joshua LaForest called 911. Greenville Police were the first to respond as Beaver Cove, an organized town, has no police department of its own and contracts for law enforcement services with the town of Greenville Upon closer inspection, it appeared that vandals had taken one skidder and used it to push a second one around and then topple the fuel truck. A fourth piece of equipment, a delimber, was not tampered with according to Greenville Police Chief Scott MacMaster. The chief called in the state police to help examine the crime scene with its evidence response team. Trooper David Yankaowisky joined the Greenville officials along with Department of Environmental Projection official Darryl Luce. Luckily, though the tank holding diesel fuel was punctured during the vandalism attack, there was no leakage of the petroleum, MacMaster reported. However, a small amount, less than half a quart, did escape when the vehicle was being righted, he said. The state police was able to collect considerable physical evidence, MacMaster reported. Among the items left behind were several beer cans, which is expected to provide some DNA evidence. There was also a latent footprint. While the exact time of the incident has not been pinpointed, officials believe the destruction occurred sometime Saturday during the day or evening. The crew left the site Friday at the close of the work day. There was fair weather Saturday but it rained hard Sunday, MacMaster noted, adding that it appeared that the truck had been on its side during the rain. All the diesel was offloaded into the machinery and the crew of five was back on the job by the afternoon. Damage to the equipment was estimated to total more than $65,000, MacMaster said. The tank truck was totaled. The company was insured against the loss, he said. The matter continues to be under investigation, the chief said.
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