Meet Aron Arthur - DNR Conservation Officer

Aron is a conservation officer currently assigned to Carroll and Greene Counties. He has been an officer for 17 years. Aron has a bachelors from Iowa State in Animal Ecology. Prior to becoming a full time officer, he worked seasonally with fisheries and law enforcement.

Every day is different for Officer Arthur, but the outdoors remains the common thread. Whether navigating rivers on a boat or the backcountry roads of Iowa, Officer Arthur works to promote conservation and outdoor engagement through patrol and a wide variety of public education programs. One cool aspect of his career is spending tons of hours on Iowa’s public waters and lands.

Data Set, Graph, Learning Tools

Operation Black Walnut

Large Black Walnut Trees reported stolen from public land in the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge.

Large Black Walnut Trees reported stolen from public land in the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge.  Black Walnut is currently a very valuable timber.

After the initial report, Officer Arthur began collecting evidence and setting up night vision cameras on other areas of Neal Smith Refuge. After sufficient evidence, a warrant was granted to start surveilling a suspected suspect. This proved effective and the vehicle, tools, and matching DNA from cigarettes matched all evidence collected. The tire tread and broken car parts also put his specific vehicle at all the scenes of the crimes.

Forensic evidence, broken car parts, and tire tread patterns reveal that the tree thefts at all the sites were committed by the same perpetrator.

Forensic evidence, broken car parts, and tire tread patterns reveal that the tree thefts at all the  sites were committed by the same perpetrator.

The suspect was charged with multiple state and federal counts totaling over $56,000 of restitution for the value of the trees, felony charges, jail time, and confiscation of his truck and all tools connected to the crime. To date it is the largest tree theft case in modern Iowa history. All timber logs recovered at a local mill. They were processed and the wood was used in conservation education centers for furniture.

The Operation Black Walnut investigation was a joint effort between the Iowa DNR, Army Corps of Engineers, USFWS, and County Conservation.

The Operation Black Walnut investigation was a joint effort between the Iowa DNR, Army Corps of Engineers, USFWS, and County Conservation.

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For more information or questions, please contact [email protected]