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'Mountain man' fights county for control of private land

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  • Description

    County claims nature school violates safety codes

  • Duration 2:41
  • Date

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-- epic struggle over one man's freedom vs the power of government.

A North Carolina outdoorsman.

Finds himself in a struggle with his state.

Over his chosen way of life on his private land.

Eustace Conway best known as the mountain man to some open to school to teach people how to live like -- early American ancestors but -- missing in the like.

Now the -- is trying to shut him down Trace Gallagher has the story straight.

You've just got to I was seventeen years old negative when he says he took Henry the rose advice and became a man of nature -- -- went -- bought 500 acres of North Carolina wilderness and called it.

Turtle island.

He then turned into a school and -- camp that teaches others how to live with nature but turtle island.

Wasn't built by architects or engineers or Home Depot all built with the materials at hand which is now the problem county officials say the compound.

Violates building codes safety regulations and have ordered him to shut it down here's used its.

-- this is supposed to be the land of the free -- is supposed to help people protect their individual liberties and freedom.

That's knowledge -- and here it's -- thing in my gosh this is the country that -- -- to every day.

So critics wonder why now after 26 years is the local government pressuring him Conway says he fully passed accounting investigation ten years ago.

And many believe that after he appeared on the history channel's mountain men -- that the county wanted to take a closer look.

County officials say that's absolutely not true this is about nothing more than safety and fairness -- that everybody -- to pass an inspection saying quoting here the primary concern of the county is that these visitors are in and out of these buildings which were neither permitted nor inspected for compliance with the North Carolina building code.

Eustace Conway says he's backs pretty much against the wall -- I'm not confident I can win it I'm confident now -- and and I'm confident it shouldn't be happening but at this point.

Basically what they government told me today is you can't operate this is something -- This much in my life on have that much left of class and got this bottom line.

But he's not dead yet.

-- has some help to fight this thing several lawyers and engineers are now working on his -- and 101000 people have now signed a petition.

Asking the county for a building code change kind of a quintessential fight for rights will let you know how this thing.

Progresses right now the camp is not in business unbelievable -- Trace thank you wanna say thanks to -- -- Buckley of our fox affiliate WGHP.

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