COAL TOWNSHIP - Three friends riding ATVs with a 49-year-old Gordon man who was killed July 21 on county-owned property will not be cited for criminal trespass by Coal Township police.
Chief of Police William Carpenter said Tuesday the three ATV riders from the Gordon area entered the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) at an area that was not posted with no-trespassing signs.
"They admitted traveling along Helfenstein Road to get to the AOAA near Gowen City, but the area where they went onto a trail wasn't posted and was very close to a section of private property," Carpenter said.
The riders were with John Nemeth, who was killed near the top of the Burnside Mountain on county-owned land, approximately one mile from the "trailhead" welcome center under construction for the AOAA. Carpenter initially said he wasn't certain the crash occurred on land that's been designated for the AOAA because he didn't know if official boundaries had been set for the outdoor recreation park.
Police said Nemeth was operating a four-wheeler when it went off a dirt road while the driver was negotiating a curve. The ATV traveled into the woods, flipped onto its side and ejected Nemeth, police said.
AOAA Authority member Pat Mack said the accident was on county land leased by the AOAA, but agreed with Carpenter's assessment that not all boundaries are marked at this time. Either way, Mack said the group and the victim were not approved riders of the AOAA. The park, which remains under development, is currently open only for special group events approved by the authority.
Mack said no trespassing signs are posted in the area of the trailhead construction and along Route 125.