Eleven requests for restitution totalling almost $37 million have been submitted to a court. At a hearing Thursday, the lawyer for the 15-year-old defendant urged Hood River County Judge John Olson to impose a “reasonable and rational” amount of restitution. The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area attracts more than 3 million tourists a year and holds North America’s largest concentration of waterfalls. “You can’t financially quantify the damage he’s done.”The U.S. Forest Service is seeking $21 million in payments and the Oregon Department of Transportation wants $12.5 million. The restitution is solely the responsibility of the teen, not his parents, who came to the U.S. from Ukraine.

Source: National Post May 17, 2018 21:22 UTC