The Becker County Sheriff's Department is investigating a vandalism incident on the Two Inlets snowmobile trail system that injured a snowmobiler.
The Forest Riders Snow-mobile Club is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the incident.
Sheriff Tim Gordon said a rural Menahga man was injured Jan. 28 when he had to turn his snowmobile off the trail because of a downed tree. The snowmobiler then struck a tree off the trail. Gordon did not disclose who the operator was.
Details of the operator's injuries were not available.He was taken to St. Joseph's Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Gordon said it appears that vandals purposely cut the tree so it would fall on the trail.
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According to Tim Eischens, who grooms the trail system for the Forest Riders club, the tree was chopped with an axe Friday night. In fact, Eischens said, the party the injured rider was with had been on the trail an hour and a half earlier and it was safe. When they returned, the tree was across the trail, which is a Savannah Township minimum maintenance road used as a snowmobile trail in the winter.
Eischens said the victim estimates he was traveling 35-40 mph when he struck the tree. His snowmobile had an estimated $2,000 damage.
"It's not a prank when you put trees across a trail," Eischens said, adding that about three weeks ago he found trees that apparently were cut to block the trail. This season, he also has found gates closed and signs missing and turned around to reroute riders.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Department of Natural Resources TIP line at 800-652-9093 or the sheriff's office at 218-847-2661.
