Athens property owners report their woods were illegally cut down

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By Joe Johnson

When Fausto and Elena Sarmiento returned home from work on September 27th they discovered with horror that a large area of woods behind their house had been cut down.

According to police, an estimated thousand-square foot area of woodland on the Hampton Park property had been “completely bush hogged down and cleared out.”

The destruction was devastating for the couple.

“Fausto stated he had lived at his residence for roughly 30 years and has enjoyed both the privacy the woods has provided and the wildlife it has brought,” police said.

The homeowner told police that the property on the other side of the woods had recently been sold to a large company.

Police advised the Sarmientos to follow up with their neighborhood association and to have “private property” signs posted in the remaining woods.