Troy James Knapp, a Utah mountain man who lived in the wilderness for seven years, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in federal prison Monday after pleading guilty to federal weapon and multi-state burglary charges.
Knapp, 46, known as the "Mountain Man," spent his winters holed up in snowbound cabins he broke into, and took to the deepest parts of the woods during the warm months with pilfered guns, food, and camping gear,
according to The Associated Press.
Many a time, Knapp would pen thank you notes to those whose cabins he burglarized, other times he would leave notes taunting the authorities, signing his name as "Troy James the red head."
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His true identity eluded police and other investigators for years, until 2012 when one cabin equipped with security cameras caught him on video. His fingerprints were later gathered from a bottle of Jim Beam whiskey.
The jig was truly up a year later, however, when Knapp shot at federal agents in a helicopter while fleeing a cabin and was successfully captured.
Prosecuting attorney Brody Keisel said that Knapp was nothing more than "a common crook," and encouraged others to avoid glamorizing his life of thieving Spaghetti-Os.
One of Knapp's defense attorney's, however, did just that, saying he'd gained much respect for Knapp in the six months he'd gotten to know him as his lawyer.
"There is an admiration for somebody who chooses to live off the land, because he does it while the rest of us wouldn't. Even if he needs a little help from some cabin owners," said attorney Jay Winward.
Keisel said the judge also had some admiration for the perpetrator, telling him he should write a book, especially now that he has the time.
As for Knapp himself, he had few words for the court, which is only natural for a mountain man.
When asked by the judge if he had anything to say, he simply responded "No, thank you."
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