Outdoors TV Chief Faces Indictment
Outdoor Channel Holdings Inc., which operates a television network focused on hunting and fishing, disclosed Tuesday that Chief Executive Perry Massie had been indicted after removing a pre-Civil War rifle from the Alabama River while scouting the site for a show on the history of the region.
A grand jury in Dallas County, Ala., indicted Massie on April 8 under a 1999 law that makes it a felony to remove, alter, disturb or destroy cultural resources without permission, according to a regulatory filing. Massie did nothing wrong and will “vigorously defend himself,” according to Outdoor Channel Holdings, which is based in Temecula in Riverside County.
Massie and his scuba guide, Steve Phillips, were arrested in October after returning to the dock in Selma, Ala., with the rifle, said Massie’s attorney Mark White. According to the company’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the area where the rifle was found is not designated as a historical site. Local police and fish and wildlife authorities confiscated the rifle and Phillips’ boat.
“It’s ridiculous,” Phillips said in an interview. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Alabama Historical Commission got thousands of dollars in grants to restore that gun that’s not even worth $100.”
Phillips, who said the gun was a 140-year-old British musket and in four pieces, said he and Massie were diving for relics and fossils when they discovered the weapon. Phillips, who owns Southern Skin Divers of Birmingham and has more than 20 years of experience in diving, told Massie that the area of river they would be exploring was in compliance with regulations, White said.
Outdoor Channel, with shows including “Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World,” targets anglers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. The company had $31.7 million in sales last year.
Shares of Outdoor Channel closed unchanged at $39.25 in over-the-counter trading.
Massie was traveling and not available to comment, spokeswoman Cecilia Wilkinson said. A court date has not been set, White said.
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