A grand jury in Grundy County has indicted the city attorney for Beersheba Springs on a vandalism charge after investigators say he cut down dozens of trees on state-owned land inside Savage Gulf State Park to open up the view from a private home under construction. Charles Trost surrendered to authorities in July and posted a $10,000 cash bond following the indictment.
According to WTVF, the timber was cleared along the park boundary near Beersheba Springs in Grundy County, and park officials contacted the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Crime Unit after the damage was discovered. A consulting forestry firm retained by state investigators later valued the destroyed trees at $112,735.90, a figure that pushed the case into felony territory, according to state records reported by TN.gov. Park officials first reported the unauthorized felling along that boundary in April 2025.
Records from the University of Tennessee's Municipal Technical Advisory Service list Trost as the sitting city attorney for Beersheba Springs, the small Grundy County municipality that borders the damaged parkland, even as he maintains a Nashville address, according to MTAS. That dual role — a public attorney for the town next door to state park land he is accused of damaging for his own private benefit — sits at the center of the case as it heads toward Grundy County's court system.
How the Charge Escalated to a Felony
The grand jury handed down its indictment on July 21, and a bench warrant followed the next day, before Trost turned himself in to law enforcement, according to state records cited by TN.gov. The investigation was led by Tennessee Agricultural Crime Unit Lead Agent Michael Whaley, and the case is being prosecuted by the 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office, per the same state records.
Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-408, vandalism causing property damage between $60,000 and $250,000 is classified as a Class B felony, according to FindLaw. That threshold carries a statutory penalty of eight to 30 years in prison, fines of up to $25,000, and the possibility of court-ordered restitution, the outlet notes. The $112,735.90 valuation of the felled timber places Trost's alleged conduct squarely within that range if he is convicted.
A State Unit Built for Cases Like This
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Crime Unit, which led the probe, is a specialized division formed in 2000 by consolidating state forestry investigators and livestock officers, according to Farm Flavor. The unit fields 10 commissioned special agents statewide who investigate forestry crimes, wildland arson, and agricultural theft, the outlet reports, which explains why state agricultural agents rather than local municipal police handled the park timber case.
State foresters have said that rising lumber prices in recent years have drawn thieves into unauthorized timber harvesting across Middle and East Tennessee, causing serious financial loss and land degradation, according to state trend data. Officials emphasize that illegal cutting frequently undermines long-term conservation work and damages wildlife habitat. In a separate case the unit handled in July, a Kentucky man pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution for illegally harvesting white oak trees from private property in Henry County, with Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt stressing that making property owners whole remains a top enforcement priority, per state records.
Why Savage Gulf's Forest Carries Added Weight
Savage Gulf became Tennessee's 57th state park in September 2022, after state leaders split its roughly 19,000 acres away from South Cumberland State Park to give it dedicated management, according to Mountains of Adventure. The park spans Grundy and Sequatchie counties, includes nearly 60 miles of wilderness hiking trails, and encompasses the Savage Gulf State Natural Area, which has been a National Natural Landmark since 1971. The Tennessee General Assembly poured more than $30 million into capital improvements there in 2022, including new visitor facilities, campgrounds, and trail work.
Environmental partners have also restored more than 3,000 acres around Savage Gulf to reintroduce shortleaf pine habitat and support vulnerable wildlife, including multi-agency efforts to bring back the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. The surrounding land consists of former industrial timberlands that the state acquired specifically for conservation, the group notes, underscoring why unauthorized clearing along the park's edge carries such weight for habitat restoration efforts in the region.
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