HETFIELD's Attorney: METALLICA Frontman 'Has Done The County A Favor' By Closing Off Trail

August 19, 2008

A couple of San Francisco-area TV news reports that have been posted online focusing on METALLICA frontman James Hetfield's dispute with hikers and cyclists over a popular hiking trail near his home that is now off limits.

Watch the video footage by following these links:

KTVU San Francisco
KGO-TV San Francisco

According to KTVU, Hetfield has erected a barbed-wire fence on his property near San Rafael, cutting off a fire trail that has been open to public use for decades.

Among those who have often used the trail is Connie Berto, who rides her horses in the picturesque Marin countryside.

"Right now, it's horrible," she told KTVU of the 10-foot barrier Hetfield has erected. "It's like a prison. It's got coils of barbed wire. We can't go through; nobody can go through."

Hetfield bought the land in 1999, according to county records. He planned to make a 14,000-square-foot home as well as a 6,000-square-foot studio, which also functioned as a caretaker's home, according to a 2002 Associated Press story. Only the studio has been built.

Hetfield's attorney told KGO-TV the county never contacted him about this new fence, and that neither he nor the previous owner agreed to people passing through.

"There was a fence there for decades," the attorney said. "Hikers breached and broke a smaller gate countless times. For Mr. Hetfield to be vilified in this borders on the absurd. He has done the county a favor by agreeing to preserve hundreds of acres of open space, not to walk through, but to look at."

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