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DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — The case of a Colorado man accused of trying to kill a Utah rancher's cattle is scheduled to go to trial next week.
The Durango Herald reports Mark Franklin is scheduled to be tried in Utah's Carbon County on charges of trespassing and wanton destruction of livestock.
Prosecutors say Franklin closed a rancher's corral gate on grazing lands in southeastern Utah to purposely cut off water to cattle in 2017.
Franklin's attorney, Paul Cassell, says his client is looking forward to trial and is "confident the evidence will exonerate him."
Environmentalist Rose Chilcoat, the wife of Franklin, was initially charged, but the Utah attorney general's office determined there wasn't enough evidence.
The Durango couple claimed the charges were in retaliation for Chilcoat's work with Great Old Broads for Wilderness.
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Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com
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