Prosecutor dismisses charges against alleged local ecoterrorist

Monroe County Prosecutor Carl Salzman dismissed the charges against Frank Ambrose, a prominent local environmentalist who was accused of spiking trees set aside for logging in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest last June.\nLaw enforcement officials had heralded Ambrose's Janurary arrest as the first in connection with the Earth Liberation Front, an eco-terrorist group that has taken credit for more than $37 million of property damage across the county. \n"As a result of further investigation, it appears the conspiracy involving the spiking of timber of Monroe and Brown Counties is more extensive than it first appeared," Salzman said in a brief press release. "Therefore, we believe that it is in the interests of justice to dismiss this case at this time."\nSalzman did not say that Ambrose has been exonerated. Because the case had not yet gone to trial, Ambrose could be charged again on the charge of timber spiking, a class D felony in Indiana. \nSalzman declined to comment further, citing a continuing investigation.\nRichard Kammen, Ambrose's Indianapolis-based attorney, said his client was "relieved and gratified" that the charges were dropped.\n"The case against Frank was based on evidence that was not very compelling," he said. "It's to Mr. Salzman's credit that he didn't take it to trial."\nAmbrose, who has since moved to Detroit to live with his wife's family, could not be reached for comment. He maintained his innocence since he was first arrested.\nAuthorities said a car later traced back to Ambrose had been spotted in the woods near the time of the spiking. And they said witnesses identified the 26-year-old environmentalist as a man seen purchasing the type of nails used in the crime in footage from a local hardware store's security camera.\nIn their investigation, state conservation police and the FBI served a search warrant on Ambrose's former residence in Bloomington. They discovered hammering and metal cutting tools, along with several cans of spray paint and cotton gloves with a residue similar to that found on the nails used in the spiking. \nFellow environmentalists rallied behind Ambrose, saying he was singled out because of his vocal opinions. They claimed authorities wanted to suppress political activism.\nAnd they felt vindicated by Salzman's announcement Wednesday.\n"That was a witch hunt," said Cogi Haggerty, a local activist. "They didn't have any case against Frank Ambrose to begin with. All that was was them trying to appease the lumber companies and the corporations that back them." \nHaggerty said he didn't believe that a large-scale conspiracy was behind the act of eco-terrorism.\n"You're talking about thousands and thousands of individuals that feel the same way and feel this is a worthwhile practice," he said. "These are individuals that go out and do this. \n"It only takes one man. It one takes one woman, one person. One brave soul to go out and spike trees"