2 men told to pay $1.1 million for oil pipeline shooting

Two Minnesota men have been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay back more than $1.1 million for damage they caused by shooting holes in an oil pipeline.

Tanner Sik, of Ivanhoe, and Eric Weckworth-Pineda, of Cottonwood, pleaded guilty in March to a federal charge of negligent discharge of a pollutant. Authorities say the April 2019 leak caused nearly 4,000 gallons to spill into the Yellow Medicine River.

Court documents show that the 21-year-old Sik used a semi-automatic rifle to fire several shots into the pipeline in Lyon County. The 25-year-old Weckworth-Pineda used the scope on his rifle to spot Sik’s shots.

They returned to the area later in the day and saw the leak, at which time they reported the spill to authorities.