Judge John Economopoulos of the 47th Circuit Court on Tuesday appointed a receiver to take control of equipment and other assets left behind by Bark River Knives after the company was evicted from its Escanaba facility, owned by K Enterprises Rentals, LLC. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

ESCANABA — A Delta County judge on Tuesday appointed a receiver to take control of equipment and other assets left behind by Bark River Knives after the company was evicted from its Escanaba facility for unpaid rent.

47th Circuit Court Judge John Economopoulos approved the appointment of a receiver on behalf of K Enterprises Rentals, LLC, owned by Ken Gartland.

The order follows the departure of Bark River Knives from the building at 6911 County Road 426 M5 Road, owned by K Enterprises. According to statements made in court, Bark River Knives allegedly left behind equipment and other personal property at the site after ceasing operations.

The receiver, Scott Wolfson, will inventory and sell the property remaining inside the building, with proceeds from the sale to be distributed among creditors with claims against Bark River Knives, also known as Stewart Knives, LLC.

Court statements estimated the value of the remaining equipment and property at approximately $250,000.

Michael “Mike” Stewart, co-founder and owner of Bark River Knives, or other representatives of Bark River Knives did not appear in court Tuesday.

Stewart did not wish to comment on the proceedings.

According to Adrianne N. Wolf, attorney for K Enterprises, Bark River Knives had previously been ordered to evict K Enterprises’ property after falling behind on rent payments.

Wolf said the company is no longer operating at the location but left behind manufacturing equipment and other assets inside the building.

She also said other parties may also claim an interest in the property as secured creditors. Proceeds from any sale could first be distributed to creditors with secured interests who have priority over K Enterprises.

The motion for an appoint of receiver comes after Bark River Knives announced they were closing the business in March.

Stewart oversaw production of knives sold across North America and Europe through distributors, including DLT Trading, KnivesShipFree, Klingenwelt, Blue Ridge Knives and Bushcraft Canada.

In a statement posted to the company’s Facebook page in March, Stewart cited health issues affecting both himself and his wife as a contributing factor to the closure.

Stewart also stated he made the decision to use an alternate Chinese steel in some knife production, which affected models Camp Bolo, Fox River Trailing Point, Highwayman 4, Mini-Manitou, Gladstone Hunter, Bitterroot Caper and the last two Club Knives.

He noted the steel had been mismarked and his distributors were not aware of the issue.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.