Shannon and Jason Grady own a 24-acre homestead in Pennsylvania where they raise goats, ducks, turkeys, and chickens with their five children. The family purchased the property in 2019 and gradually converted a former horse pasture into a functional family space, including a small pond used for recreation and also for watering the animals. But unfortunately, after Hurricane Ida destroyed their private driveway, a crossing over a small drainage ditch became impassable, creating an urgent safety concern. Within a day, a long metal culvert was installed to restore access in this area common in rural properties. But then days later, an anonymous complaint was filed alleging that the Grady s had engaged in an act of environmental disturbance.
00:00:47.940Shannon Grady and her husband, Jason, own a 24-acre homestead, as I say, in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania.
00:00:54.980Where they raise goats, ducks, turkeys, chickens, and rabbits with their five children.
00:01:00.160The family purchased the property in 2019 and gradually converted a former horse pasture into a functional family space.
00:01:07.980Including a small pond with a natural spring used for recreation and also for watering the animals.
00:01:13.800But unfortunately, Shannon Grady and her husband have been targeted by state and local officials over completely what I believe are fabricated environmental infractions in an effort to target them.
00:01:30.600What began as an emergency storm repair during Hurricane Ida in 2021 has since escalated into a year-long legal struggle with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
00:01:42.620In which the Grady family believes, correctly, that they're targeted out of vengeance by state and local authorities.
00:01:49.320Due to Shannon Grady's advocacy against some of the COVID restrictions and her criticism of the local school board.
00:02:00.300Shannon Grady joins us in The Stone Zone now.
00:02:07.080Shannon, this is an extraordinary story that I think the people need to know about how this attack on you and your family and your property has spiraled out of control.
00:02:21.980First, let's talk about your activism regarding COVID restrictions and the local school board.
00:02:28.220Yeah, I generally kept to myself prior to the school shutdown and, you know, when the masking mandate was put in place, I kind of just kept to myself, kept quiet and I just kept my kids home.
00:03:21.200So prior to the start of that school year, I was researching, because we had no avail with our school board to listen to facts, listen to us talking at the school board meetings, etc.
00:03:36.160So I was researching the school codes and I found a section in the school code that allows you to file a petition to remove your school board.
00:03:46.380So I, knowing nothing about anything, I was just a really upset parent.
00:03:52.760I filed a petition to remove the school board based on the masking mandates and that that sort of the school board was removed.
00:04:09.360I later became the chair of Moms for Liberty.
00:04:11.500And so that was sort of my my first, you know, I guess, experience with standing up to government mandates.
00:04:23.240And it really opened my eyes to understanding I was following the Pennsylvania.
00:04:28.240The Pennsylvania Supreme Court did rule that that administrative order issued for the masking mandate by the Department of Health was void ab initio.
00:04:37.340And I started to understand what these things meant, being an administrative order, government infringing upon upon your rights and starting to really be able to recognize when government is over overextending their reserved powers, if you will.
00:04:58.900OK, so after Hurricane Ida destroyed your family's private driveway, crossing over a small drainage ditch, cutting off access to your home, the Grady's say the crossing became impassable, creating an urgent safety concern.
00:05:12.260Within a day, the family installed a 10 foot long metal culvert and placed stone fill to restore access, an arrangement common in rural properties in this area of Pennsylvania.
00:05:23.220But then days later, following, of course, an anonymous complaint alleging earth disturbance, representatives from the Chester County Conservation District and the State Department of Inventual Property and Text entered the property without a warrant, without advance notice, describing the visit and several that followed as raids, because that's how Shannon told me they went down, saying officials entered despite being posted no trespassing signs and explicit objections from the Grady's.
00:05:52.740An inspection report by the Department of Protection Aquatic Biologist Carol Canigliani documents a confrontation in which the property owners were present, were told that they had a legal right to enter and their refusal could result in enforcement action.
00:06:12.280So it was during that initial inspection, the officials identified the pond on the property that gave them their next excuse to harass the Grady family.
00:06:22.660Subsequent Department of Environmental Protection reports alleged multiple fabricated violations, including unpermitted earth disturbance exceeding one acre, discharge of sediment into a water of the Commonwealth, construction of an unpermitted culvert, failure to implement erosion and sediment controls,
00:06:41.220unlawful obstruction of unlawful obstruction upon wetlands, the natural spring palms described as impermeable and potentially polluting.
00:06:50.800These are all, of course, outrageous fabrications.
00:06:54.220And you and your husband dispute these findings.
00:07:00.900You know, as you mentioned, starting in 2021 was when the initial inspection took place based on an anonymous complaint, which we did file right to nose to get such anonymous complaints.
00:07:16.080But since 2021, there's been at least nine, nine unreasonable searches of our property.
00:07:22.280And the DEPs had had brought in not only the state, but they at one point had the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
00:07:32.300They were claiming that we were under federal jurisdiction, according to WOTUS.
00:07:37.900So they were trying to say that we needed to work with the federal government as well because we're in violation of multiple environmental crimes and whatnot.
00:07:47.160But in all of these raids, if you will, they came with armed officers numerous times.
00:07:53.760They conspired with the police department, the PA Fish and Game officers who are also armed numerous times, came onto our property.
00:08:02.140We gave them that we have posted signage and we gave them verbal notice that they were not permitted to inspect our property and search our property.
00:08:10.880But yet they continued their searches.
00:08:14.880We basically explained to them that they have to prove harm.
00:08:22.320Their main claim is that we are a public nuisance causing environmental harm.
00:08:27.200And the statutes in which they cite we're violating, they have the statutory duty to prove that we've contaminated the waters of the Commonwealth or waters of the United States.
00:08:38.360Yet in all of their visits from 2021 through 2025, they failed to do one single soil sample test or water soil test, which they're required to do by the statute.
00:08:53.000They're required to show contamination, which they failed to do.
00:08:56.440So you and your husband maintain that the natural spring pond that they refer to is permeable, smaller than an acre and actually environmentally beneficial, converting what was previously a muddy runoff prone pasture into a stabilized grass dairy that serves as a water source for your livestock.
00:09:15.520The government has never shown any evidence of pollution or downstream harm, nor have any of your neighbors filed complaints alleging damage.
00:09:24.700Additionally, state aerial imagery shows only minor soil displacement consistent with normal rainfall.
00:09:33.200Grady notes that no soil in this article that I read.
00:09:36.580This is, I think, you talking, Shannon, noted that no soil or water tests were ever made by state authorities to prove any of this viral damage.
00:09:44.380As you just said, demonstrate that this whole thing is, in fact, a political.
00:09:49.780You know, I really must tell you, in a way I can totally identify with you because I myself have been politically targeted.
00:09:57.680It was seven years ago this past Sunday, the 29 heavily armed FBI agents, similar to the armed thugs that were sent to your farm property,
00:10:08.660store my home at six o'clock in the morning.
00:10:10.880And this entire attack on you and your husband and your family, where you live on the property with your five children, as I recall, in a farmhouse that's almost 200 years old,
00:10:25.860they want to fine you and try to destroy you, not because you're doing anything wrong on your property, but because you stood up to the local school board.
00:11:14.900This National Foster Care Month, Marine Toys for Tots is providing hope to children who need it most.
00:11:21.060Staff Sergeant James Caldwell, who grew up in foster care himself, shares that while handing out gifts at a Toys for Tots distribution event,
00:11:27.880a little girl looked up at him, reached into her bag, pulled out a stuffed animal, and said,
00:11:31.700someone needs to make sure you get a toy too.
00:11:34.060That simple gesture embodies the heart of Marine Toys for Tots,
00:11:37.760ensuring every child, including those in foster care, experiences the kindness that can transform their future.
00:12:52.640But complying would cost your family $500,000 or more, including permit fees, hiring a certified wetland specialist, delineating wetlands, preparing restoration plans, and submitting a notice of intent for individual permits.
00:13:12.300Are any of the other property holders around where you live experiencing these same kinds of issues?
00:13:21.040And the ironic part here is that, you know, the permits in which they wish us to obtain and comply with are regulated by the federal government.
00:13:32.100The EPA regulates the MPDES permit, which they want us to get.
00:13:37.960And WOTUS has been basically eliminated by the Trump administration.
00:13:42.080The WOTUS doesn't, they're claiming that, you know, the water, our natural springs, which is what the pond is, the natural springs, we have seven on our property, is not a water of the United States, not regulated by the federal government, but which is what they're trying to claim.
00:13:56.460And they're also trying to claim our drainage ditch is a navigable waterway.
00:14:01.980So, you know, they're trying to, you know, pull us into not only administrative regulatory purview, but they're trying to also force us to comply with an administrative process, which we have been saying from the beginning is unconstitutional.
00:14:19.460We are, we are afforded proper due process.
00:14:22.720You cannot just show up here with an administrative order demanding us to comply with your demands, purchase all these permits, do all of these things, which would cost us $500,000, plus allow you to inspect, quote unquote, inspect our property for the next five years, whenever you want, based on an administrative order issued by a manager who works at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
00:14:50.140No, in fact, and this will come as a surprise to no one when this whole matter reached the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on May 28th of 2025.
00:14:59.660You represented yourself pro se, because let's face it, lawyers are very expensive, focusing all of these questions that you've raised today about the state's authority to enter private property, absent any consent to begin with.
00:15:12.920And, of course, the local judge, Matthew S. Wolf, granted the state's Department of Environmental Protection to enforce this outrageous administrative order.
00:15:23.140The court retained jurisdiction, warned that failure to comply could result in sanctions, including contempt, fines, and perhaps even jail.
00:15:32.300These people are out of control, but I do think you have put your finger on the potential solution to your problems.
00:15:40.060I really doubt that Lee Zeldin, who is the director under Donald Trump of the Department of Environmental Protection, is aware of the situation.