Swift justice

[Oak]

KEMMERER-- Micah S. Morales, age 30, of Jasper, Texas pled guilty in the Lincoln County Circuit Court on April 16, 2009 to shooting twice at a mule deer with his .22 rifle from his vehicle on Highway 189 south of Kemmerer.

Morales, a contract worker for Total Western, was in the area doing a boiler overhaul at Naughton Power Plant.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Game Warden Andrew Countryman says the case was solved with the cooperation of local sportsman and multiple wildlife officers.

"I was alerted to Morales' activities by a concerned sportsman on April 10," Countryman said.

"The report indicated that Morales was with another contract worker at the time of the shooting. I was able to identify one of the suspects and the vehicle he was using to commute with. I then located the motel the suspects were staying in. After a few days/nights of surveillance and searching for the deer reported to be shot we decided to confront the owner of vehicle on April 15."

Cokeville Game Warden Neil Hymas, Wildlife Investigator Jim Gregory and Countryman interviewed the owner of the vehicle at Jubilee Food Store in Kemmerer. The suspect admitted that he was with Micah S. Morales and another man during the shooting of a deer on Highway 189 south of Kemmerer. The suspect was confident that Morales had hit at least one deer.

On April 15, wildlife officers contacted Morales at the Alco Retail Store in Kemmerer. During the interview and search of his vehicle and RV, Morales admitted to nothing. A subsequent investigation revealed that the deer shooting occurred on the evening of April 9. Morales and two other companions were in a red 1998 Dodge four-door truck at the time of the shooting. Morales stopped his truck on the shoulder of the highway, pulled a semi-automatic .22 rifle out from behind the seat and shot at a deer along the highway. A semi-automatic .22 rifle was later found behind a recliner in Morale's RV.

Morales is charged with attempt to hunt/shoot/kill wildlife from highway and wanton destruction of big game. Morales will pay $5,060 fines, 12 days of jail, and 9 years of revocation of hunting/fishing privileges in Wildlife Violator Compact States (31 states currently, 6 in the process).

"Thanks to concerned local sportsman we were able to investigate, interview and arrest Morales on two serious wildlife," Countryman said. "I had lots of help. This was a team effort by Cokeville Game Warden Neil Hymas, Evanston Game Warden Brian Baker and Green River Wildlife Investigator Jim Gregory."

Anyone with information on wildlife violations can call the Stop Poaching Hotline at (877) WGFD-TIP or report that violation online.

 

[TheTone]

Wow, write the ticket on the 15th and convict him on the 16th. In Idaho its going to ususally take 7-14 days before the first appearance for the defendant. Heck of a sentence as well, wish I could deal with more judges like that.

 

[brymoore]

$5K, 12 days of sodomy and 9 years without hunting - that's enought to scare me straight.

 

[mtmiller]

Way to go Wyoming.

Hopefully TX will soon keep them from hunting at home as well.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/WildlifeViolatorCompact/WCV_map.pdf

 

[Tom]

Way to go Wyoming.

Hopefully TX will soon keep them from hunting at home as well.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/WildlifeViolatorCompact/WCV_map.pdf

Its my understanding, if they did that in Texas they would be facing a felony. That's worse, not just 9 years. How would the compact work then?

 

[mtmiller]

Tom, I would be interested to know if what you mentioned is true. Is shooting at a deer out of season a felony in TX?

 

[Tom]

I'm no lawyer, but I found this in the online Texas statutes cut and pasted below.

Note that it would be a felony in season also, if done without landowner permission.

SUBCHAPTER B. PROHIBITED ACTS
Sec. 61.021. TAKING WILDLIFE RESOURCES PROHIBITED. Except as permitted under a proclamation issued by the commission under this chapter, no person may hunt, catch, or possess a game bird or game animal, fish, marine animal, or other aquatic life at any time or in any place covered by this chapter.
Acts 1975, 64th Leg., p. 1405, ch. 545, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1975. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 506, ch. 213, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 31, 1981; Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2740, ch. 748, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1981.

Sec. 61.022. TAKING WILDLIFE RESOURCES WITHOUT CONSENT OF LANDOWNER PROHIBITED. (a) No person may hunt or catch by any means or method or possess a wildlife resource at any time and at any place covered by this chapter unless the owner of the land, submerged land, or water, or the owner's agent, consents.
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a person who violates Subsection (a) the first time commits an offense that is a Class A Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanor and is punishable in addition by the revocation or suspension under Section 12.5015 of hunting and fishing licenses and permits.
(c) A person who violates Subsection (a) the first time by killing a desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, or white-tailed deer commits an offense that is a Parks and Wildlife Code state jail felony and is punishable in addition by the revocation or suspension under Section 12.5015 of hunting and fishing licenses and permits.
(d) A second violation of Subsection (a) shall be classified as one category higher than the first violation or a Parks and Wildlife Code felony, whichever is lesser, and is punishable in addition by the revocation or suspension under Section 12.5015 of hunting and fishing licenses and permits.
(e) A third or subsequent violation of Subsection (a) shall be classified as a Parks and Wildlife Code felony and is punishable in addition by the revocation or suspension under Section 12.5015 of hunting and fishing licenses and permits.
Acts 1975, 64th Leg., p. 1405, ch. 545, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1975. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 507, ch. 213, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 31, 1981; Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2740, ch. 748, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1981; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1090, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1256, Sec. 73, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 959, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1002, Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2005.