4 witnesses kick off day one of many Dennis Rainey trial

The felony trial for Dennis Rainey, an evangelist and pal of former Gov. Mike Huckabee who’s accused of damaging greater than 100 bushes to enhance his view of Lake Maumelle, began Wednesday.

A 12-member jury in Pulaski County Circuit Decide Cathi Compton‘s courtroom will determine Rainey’s guilt or innocence in a trial anticipated to take three days.

A number of hours on Wednesday had been spent choosing the jury. The courthouse rotunda was packed filled with potential jurors for numerous circumstances, and Compton’s courtroom had packed pews wall to wall from about 9 a.m.till midday whereas the decide dismissed folks with conflicts. The state’s crew, led by Prosecuting Legal professional Robert Jones, used a lot of analogies to organize the jurors for what he referred to as a transparent case of somebody asking for forgiveness fairly than permission.

Rainey, 75, is dealing with a felony felony mischief cost for his 2021 tree trimming on watershed property in Roland. Attorneys David Parker and Judson Kidd are representing him. Neither facet, plaintiff nor defendant, shied away from the narrative that Rainey was in actual fact liable for trimming the bushes, however Rainey’s crew argued that he absolutely believed he had permission to take action.

Within the afternoon, the state referred to as 4 witnesses to the stand. Rhonda Patton, a retiree who has lived at her home in Roland for about 15 years, was up first. Patton mentioned she was strolling her common 2-mile route on the Ouachita Path someday in Could of 2021 when she seen dozens of tree limbs on the bottom. She returned dwelling and some hours later introduced her husband out to see what she had seen. On the second journey, tree service staff had been out with chainsaws, trimming the tops of bushes. Patton mentioned one worker advised her Rainey had employed them.

Patton mentioned she later referred to as Central Arkansas Water as a result of the corporate managed the watershed, and questioned the work that was being carried out. She additionally made calls to native regulation enforcement. Within the two years because the bushes had been trimmed, Patton mentioned there was some regrowth, although it’s been coming in like summary artwork. Some bushes haven’t survived the harm, she mentioned.

Rainey’s legal professional Parker argued that the case towards Rainey was Central Arkansas Water utilizing him for example and that Rainey was being charged with the best fines doable. Parker mentioned the trial at hand was scarier than a homicide or a toddler abduction, as a result of it’s coping with a case the place the “authorities comes after you.”

Parker described Rainey as a household man and praised his religion. He and his spouse, Barbara, write books about how one can have a profitable marriage and how one can be good mother and father. In addition they host household retreats and educate boys how one can turn into males, Parker mentioned. Rainey purchased his dwelling in Roland in 1983 when he and his spouse had been getting ready for his or her sixth baby, and it’s the closest home to Lake Maumelle, Parker mentioned. 

A few decade after the Rainey household moved in, Parker mentioned that Rainey was granted permission from the Little Rock Municipal Water Works — now Central Arkansas Water — to trim the bushes blocking his yard view. It was this permission from a long time in the past that Rainey assumed he nonetheless needed to minimize the bushes in 2021.

The second witness was Ambrosio Cruz, proprietor of A. C. Tree Service, the corporate Rainey employed in 2021 for his trimming mission. Cruz walked by way of the method of the view enhancement work, which included assembly with Rainey to find out what bushes could be trimmed and the way a lot would come off. The mission value $9,000 for 3 days of labor, and 5 staff had been concerned. Cruz mentioned Rainey advised him he had permission to chop the bushes. The issue is that some bushes had been on Rainey’s property however some weren’t. Cruz additionally mentioned that he may inform the bushes had been minimize from the highest earlier than. Regulation enforcement later contacted Cruz about Rainey’s tree service.

Da’Vonti Armant, a detective with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Workplace, took the stand subsequent. Armant mentioned he was contacted by Raven Lawson, the watershed supervisor for Central Arkansas Water, concerning the tree trimming. Armant performed an investigation that included speaking with witnesses and previous CAW staff. The person who would have granted Rainey permission previously has since died, however Armant mentioned he spoke with that particular person’s associate. Armant obtained a felony warrant for Rainey in July 2021 solely after he spoke with these concerned. He mentioned that an try to interview Rainey or his legal professional had failed, however he did obtain a letter.

The ultimate witness of Wednesday’s trial was Gerald P. Decide, a district forester for the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers, Little Rock district. The tree harm Rainey is accused of inflicting is valued at round $109,000. The state’s crew requested for a rundown of the tedious process {that a} tree appraisal contains. Decide mentioned the Corps’ coverage contains utilizing the trunk formulation method, which entails a collection of spreadsheets and formulation that calculate the worth of a tree. It’s a cost-based system, and numerous diameter measurements, location and situation elements, species distinction and extra go into the ultimate dedication.

Rainey’s crew countered with quite a lot of questions on forestry and appraisal overlaps, the make-up of his workplace personnel, if Decide may speculate on a land worth versus a tree worth — he couldn’t — and if some other tree value determinations he’d been concerned in had gone to a felony trial. (No.) Decide additionally mentioned the Corps’ coverage permits the alleged violator to conduct a separate appraisal, however it additionally should be carried out with the trunk formulation method.

The jury was a sleepy bunch on the finish of the day; the hours speaking about bushes didn’t appear to excite them a lot. Court docket is in recess till Thursday at 9 a.m. The trial might wrap up by the tip of the day Thursday or bleed into Friday.

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