Andy Kerr on the warpath
Andy Kerr, conservation director for the Oregon
Natural Resources Council, filed a criminal trespass complaint
against a Spokane, Wash., television reporter for being on his
recently purchased property in Wallowa County, Ore. without
permission. Tom Grant of KREM-TV was discovered on the front porch
Feb. 6 by the house's caretaker after he had videotaped the
interior of Kerr's house through windows. Grant was pursuing a
story on whether Kerr's ownership of a log house conflicted with
his views on stewardship of natural resources, said KREM-TV news
editor Paul Gilbert. Grant was driven to Kerr's house by county
judge Arleigh Isley, a cattle rancher, and county commissioner Pat
Wortman, a cattle rancher and timber operator. "Whether it was
trespassing remains to be seen," said Gilbert. "This station
respects the private rights of others." Kerr, who said he currently
lives in a wood house in Portland, is undeterred in his plans. "I
and my wife and her three mean dogs are moving there, and I'm
bringing my gun collection," he told The Oregonian. "Anybody's got
the right to live anywhere they want. I just wish those individuals
who wish to harass me would wait until I'm there."