SANDPOINT — A man involved in a faulty logging contract entered a not guilty plea for a handful of grand theft charges relating to alleged timber thefts spanning across a month in 2023.  

Jacob Leon Hatfield, 43, is charged with seven felony counts of grand theft, for allegedly violating a timber contract with the Idaho Department of Lands by taking seven loads of timber without proper reporting or markings.  

If found guilty, Hatfield could face a maximum of 98 years in jail and/or a $35,000 fine.  

Hatfield entered the not guilty plea from the court room and was free from shackles after posting a $347,000 bond.  

According to a probable cause affidavit, Hatfield’s company Timber Logging Company LLC was awarded a logging operations in 2021 that was contract by State Board of Land Commissioners and took place on IDL land in Priest River.

While operations were taking place, court documents indicate that IDL members started “having problems with the logging operations.” While the problems weren’t directly disclosed in court files, IDL members placed several game cameras on the main road of the logging site out of caution.   

In May 2023, Mike Montee of Northwest Transfers LLC, a company that purchases logs, was contacted by Hatfield about a price sheet for delivering logs but had not been contacted again. According to court documents, Montee indicates that he was then contacted by a man named Leon Nosiglia working under a company name of Northland Supply in Sandpoint.  

The man disclosed to Montee that his log delivery would be a yard-to-yard transfer. 

In June 2023, Montee contacted Director of the Idaho Board of Scaling Practices Shawn Inman, in which he shared concerns about the legalities and discrepancies of Nosiglia’s contract.  

A probable cause affidavit indicated that through research done by Inman, it was found that Hatfield’s middle name was Leon, and his wife’s maiden name was Nosiglia.  

Upon learning that Hatfield was allegedly using the false name of Leon Hatfield, and that he had several contracts with IDL, Inman contacted IDL. IDL officials checked the game cameras that were put up in 2021 and found the truck suspected to be involved in the alleged theft of seven undocumented timber loads.  

Court documents note that a total of three timber loads were delivered to Montee’s yard under a false name and pretense, with the other four believed to have been delivered to another lumber yard in Priest River.  

“Since those loads are unaccounted for to date, they were taken from the JUNTA sawlog timber area with the intent to permanently deprive the Idaho Department of Lands, making each load a grand theft,” says a probable cause affidavit.  

Hatfield is being asked to pay a restitution fee of $347,507.79 to make up for the total loss of sales, court documents indicate.