Miner's trial delayed

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The civil court trial of a gold miner charged with illegal mining in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has been rescheduled to begin on Nov. 2.

The trial for Clifford R. Tracy, 37, of Gold Hill, arrested in September for mining without a permit on his 4.75-acre claim, had been scheduled to start Tuesday before Judge Owen Panner.

Tracy, whose 4.75-acre claim is in the Sucker Creek drainage about a dozen miles southeast of Cave Junction, denied in a court hearing last month that he was mining illegally. The U.S. Forest Service officials were opposed to mining and did not understand the mining laws, he told Panner.

In documents filed with the court, forest officials stated that Tracy mined without a permit, then continued to do so after he was warned and later cited for the violation.

Panner earlier postponed a criminal trial on a misdemeanor charge against Tracy of mining without a permit until after the civil trial.

— Paul Fattig

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