‘I Wish it Would Have Happened Through Proper Channels’; Michigan Man Convicted on Federal Charges for Diverting River in National Park

A 63-year-old man in Frankfort, Michigan, has been convicted of two federal misdemeanor charges of tampering and vandalism after it was found that he had diverted a river within a national park by digging a new channel into Lake Michigan. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten, said in a press release that Andrew Howard dug the channel that diverted the Platte River in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park into Lake Michigan after a disagreement with authorities.  “The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a Michigan jewel,” said U.S. Attorney Totten. “Every year, countless visitors enjoy its pristine waters, towering sand dunes, and rolling forests. Mr. Howard had a policy dispute with the National Park Service and took matters into his own hands, breaking the law rather than using lawful means to advocate for his position.”...