10/14/2011 In two separate incidents, three Utah hunters recklessly broke the law by killing more animals than they had tags for, and now face felony charges. The first incident occured when a father and son opened fire on a gathering of 60 or more pronghorn antelope, killing three bucks and two does—five in total. Each man had a permit to take one doe, but neither had a permit to take a buck. In the second incident, a man with a permit to take one mountain goat killed three of them. Investigators were able to track down the violators with the help of Utah sportsmen who were in the area when the crimes took place. All three violators face potential third-degree felony charges. Third-degree felonies carry a fine of up to $5,000 and a jail sentence of up to five years. The violators also face restitution fines of $6,000 per mountain goat and $400 per pronghorn. They stand to lose their hunting privileges in Utah and the other states involved in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. To report a poaching incident, go to wildlife.utah.gov.
|
|
||||||
|
|
Comments
ADD YOUR COMMENT
Enter your comments below, they will appear within 24 hours
1 Response to Utah Poachers Face Felony Charges