SANTA ROSA BEACH — A man and woman who own residences on Cypress Drive in Santa Rosa Beach have been charged with illegally clearing trees and brush within Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.

Michelle Glantz, 66, and Emory Gaultney, 76, face felony charges of criminal mischief and grand theft.

They also face a first-degree misdemeanor charge of trespassing and 27 charges of violating conservation regulations, including regulations impacting migratory birds and endangered species, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission news release.

The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are likely, according to FWC spokeswoman Rebekah Nelson.

Glantz and Gaultney were clearing trees in the state forest alongside two other people when they were confronted on May 30 by Bill Potter, a resident of a neighborhood bordering Topsail Hill and a volunteer there.

They also face a first-degree misdemeanor charge of trespassing and 27 charges of violating conservation regulations, including regulations impacting migratory birds and endangered species, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission news release.

The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are likely, according to FWC spokeswoman Rebekah Nelson.

“Our community is distraught at the recent desecration within the Topsail Hill Preserve, an area that is to be respected and protected. To learn that it was individuals from within our neighborhood who are responsible for this has overwhelmed us with shock and dismay,” the statement said.

“While these individuals have been respected members of our neighborhood for many years, please know that their actions go against the values and ideals of our community,” it said.

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