Resident accuses Saint Louis County processes of enabling improper land claims

Chester Collins told the Saint Louis County Board during the Feb. 24 listening session in Cotton that county legal and administrative processes have been used to "coordinate" the theft of private land. Collins said he has presented evidence that his land was manipulated by neighbors and that the county treated private land as public or tax-forfeited without adequate documentation.

"It was a state sanctioned theft of our land," Collins said, alleging the county attorney's office inappropriately claimed an existing road bed across his property and treated a 50-foot strip as tax-forfeited. He also said a neighbor used the Cartway statute to justify an easement across his land rather than pursue other access options, and that the county approved a resolution based on a false premise.

Collins asked the board for transparency and correction of the record and urged officials to "stop allowing the county attorney's office to bypass the requirements of the Cartway statute." He said the board had been informed of a related lawsuit and a court's findings but that the board nonetheless favored his neighbor's convenience.

He closed by saying he will continue documenting the issue publicly and called on the county to act "expeditious" if it moves forward with the land action. The public comment in the transcript recorded no formal board reply or recorded county response.

The transcript does not include supporting documents or county staff responses; Collins said he has presented evidence to the county previously and referenced court proceedings but did not quote court citations in this public comment.