Nampa Man Admits To Theft Of Rocks From BLM Lands

BOISE – William Brian Kirkpatrick, 45, of Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to theft of government property, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Kirkpatrick appeared before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.

According to the plea agreement, Kirkpatrick admitted that he drove his truck onto public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and stole decorative sandstone rock to sell for use in landscaping projects. Kirkpatrick admitted that between November 2012 and June 2013, he stole more than 9,800 pounds of sandstone from BLM lands, which retailed for $1,472, and sold the rock commercially.

The charge of theft of government property is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Kirkpatrick is scheduled to be sentenced on April 21, 2014.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by criminal investigators of the Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of the Interior.