At 9 a.m. Nov. 18, conservation officer Richard Cardenas received a complaint that had been phoned in to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Report All Poaching Line about a deer that had been shot.

The caller said she was awakened by a loud thud against her house at approximately 3 a.m. When she went outside to investigate, she discovered a deer lying near her house between a woodshed and the back porch. She then witnessed her neighbor come into her yard, claim the deer and drag it by the antlers to his property.

After speaking to the witness, Cardenas went to the suspect’s residence next door, where he contacted the suspect and observed a bait pile in the backyard, with spotlights from the house pointed toward it.

Cardenas questioned the suspect about the deer in the back of his pickup truck, including about what time of day he shot the deer. The suspect first told Cardenas that he shot the deer at 6 a.m. After further questioning, the suspect changed his answer to say he didn’t know what the time was when he shot the deer. Read more

DENVER–Assistant hunting outfitter and guide Nicholaus Rodgers, was sentenced to 6 months home confinement, a $5,000 fine, 50 hours of community service and 3 years’ probation for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act, a federal wildlife protection law. During his probation he is prohibited from hunting or fishing. Rodgers, worked as an assistant hunting guide for Loncarich Guides and Outfitters. The conspiracy involved felony interstate transportation and sale of unlawfully taken wildlife, and felony creation of false records concerning wildlife that was sold in interstate commerce. The sentence was the result of a joint investigation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Read more

A Jackson County man has confessed to the illegal killing of a small bull elk during the firearm deer season in Otsego County, according to Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers who investigated the incident.

A passerby discovered elk parts dumped along a rural road Nov. 29, 2014.  A DNR conservation officer investigating the scene located a grocery store receipt among the entrails of an elk. A six-week investigation ensued, with a suspect being identified and interviewed. A confession was obtained, and charges are now being reviewed by the Otsego County prosecutor.

According to Lt. Jim Gorno, DNR law enforcement supervisor in Gaylord, conservation officers from the DNR’s Gaylord Customer Service Center were assisted in the investigation by officers from southern Michigan, a diligent Report All Poaching (RAP) Hotline dispatcher, and a detective from the department’s Special Investigations Unit.

“This case started with very limited clues and evidence, but through solid investigative follow-up, in conjunction with excellent teamwork being displayed by several of our officers around the state, it was brought to a successful conclusion,” said Gorno. “It shows diligence and tenacity in investigating cases involving our high-value fish and game species.” Read more

BIRMINGHAM-A federal judge today sentenced three south Alabama family members to prison for running a scheme to steal more than $3 million from the claims fund established by British Petroleum for victims of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn sentenced MARCELLA TRUSS, 53, to 12 years and one month in prison. The judge also ordered Truss to pay $1.9 million in restitution and to forfeit that same amount as proceeds of illegal activity. Judge Blackburn sentenced Truss’ husband, MARTEE DAVIS, 42, to 13 years and three months in prison. The judge ordered Davis to be responsible for the same restitution and forfeiture as Truss. Judge Blackburn sentenced Truss’ brother, HOWARD LENARD CARROWAY, 42, to eight years in prison. Truss and Davis lived in Grand Bay, Ala., and Birmingham, and Carroway lived in Mobile during the course of the scheme. Read more

Jason Kummerfeldt, 45, of Billings, Montana was an assistant guide when he took Boggs on a hunt in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in August 2009.  He made the mistake of telling Boggs he could purchase a caribou tag after killing one.  Big mistake.  Details here…