Ninth Circuit Upholds Conviction of Feedlot Owner

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the 2009 jury conviction of Cory King for environmental violations in 2005. King, 54, was convicted of four counts of injecting fluids into an underground aquifer without a permit, violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The appellate court also affirmed King’s conviction of making a false statement within the jurisdiction of the United States. The court’s decision was released Monday. King is the owner of a Burley-area feedlot. Two years ago, a jury heard evidence against King that showed he ordered workers to inject surface fluids into four irrigation wells on several occasions. King was also accused of lying to an Idaho State Department of Agriculture inspector who was inspecting the feedlot. King was sentenced to three years of probation and a $5,000 fine. Separately, he and other defendants in a case pursued by state officials reached a $100,000 settlement on a range of alleged violations...more