Watch CBS News

El Dorado County Supervisor Arrested On Criminal Charges

EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) — A member of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors who was the focus of a CBS13 investigation after he pocketed $70,000 to trim trees and clear brush on his rural property, has been arrested on criminal charges.

Ray Nutting was arrested Tuesday on two counts of filing false documents, perjury relating to failure to disclose income, and having a financial interest in a county contract and failing to recuse himself from the vote. His preliminary bail has been set at $55,000.

Nutting's family owns 660 acres of timberland outside of Placerville, and over the last several years, he collected tens of thousands in taxpayer money to clear brush and trim trees on his own land.

Half the money came from Proposition 40, a 2002 bond measure California voters passed for clean water and air. In an interview with CBS13's Laura Cole in April 2013, Nutting defended having received the money.

"Is it fair? Prop. 40 is a tool that's used for property owners to reduce their fuel loads," Nutting said.

Calfire also defends its program, which was designed to prevent more catastrophic wildfires.

After seeing our investigation, chairman of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, Ron Briggs, reiterated his stance on investigating Nutting.

"I didn't think it was proper for somebody to say, 'I took public money and I'm going to take future public monies.' I was concerned that the integrity of the board might be compromised somewhere in the future."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.