Man faces jail for changing course of river

A jury in Mason County, Washington state, have found a Tahuya man guilty of redirecting the Tahuya River behind his home. William Cayo, Sr. was charged after an incident in 2013, when officers witnessed him using a bulldozer to fill in 1.5 acres of river bed. The Tahuya River is a fragile ecosystem. It empties into the Hood Canal, where salmon are known to swim up its waters to spawn. It's a habitat wildlife officials believe Cayo severely damaged. "All he was trying to do was save his house and his family," Matt Just said.



Just lives downstream from Cayo. Flooding is a chronic problem, he says, regularly threatening homes. According to charging documents, Cayo told wildlife officials he'd "already lost one home to the river" and "did not intend to lose another home." When officials warned him he'd need a permit, he replied he was tired of asking for help "and he was going to finish his work…he had nothing to lose besides his home … and already suffered several heart attacks recently."

"I can understand where he's coming from because his house is right on the water, and if it floods, it's gone," Just said. By trying to protect his home, law enforcement says, Cayo endangered many more. He not only put his neighbours' homes at risk, but also created potentially permanent damage to the river's ecosystem by "suffocating and preventing the emergence of salmonids and other small fish."



The environmental effects "may not be felt until the 2016-2017 fish runs," one document reads. "He should have gone the right way and gotten a permit, yes," Just said. However, Just claims he and some of his neighbours can't always afford the cost of required permits. Court documents claim Cayo told officers he "did not need any permits to protect his home." Cayo now faces 364 days in jail and $16,000 worth of fines. His sentencing is scheduled for April 17.

With news video.