Third Defendant Pleads in BWCA Case
25 Jan
The third of six defendants in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area terror case pleaded guilty to reduced charges this week as pressure builds upon those still awaiting trial.
On Tuesday, 20-year-old Zachary Barton of Ely pleaded guilty to felony aiding and abetting terroristic threats charges in connection with the August 7 incident. Dozens of campers on Basswood Lake near Ely were allegedly harassed by men in two motorboats who fired guns and fireworks toward campsites and shouted threats.
Barton will serve 20 days in jail and faces 3 years of probation, during which time he is barred from the BWCA.
Earlier this year, two other defendants pleaded guilty to reduced charges. They, like Barton, have agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the case.
Both the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, HERE, and Duluth News-Tribune, HERE, have full stories on the case.
