Probably going to church in Washakie county.

quote:

Probably going to church in Washakie county.

LOL! Yeah I bet!

Speaking of poachers what should happen to Ted Nugent. Hes been caught poaching 2 times in about a 18 month period.



GTR

quote:

Originally posted by GTR:
Speaking of poachers what should happen to Ted Nugent. Hes been caught poaching 2 times in about a 18 month period.



GTR

Can't see a difference between these two cases?

So to you, someone who grossly and repeatedly violates game laws should be treated the same as the guy who accidentally shoots an extra duck one time?

Perhaps Nugent's infractions were a misunderstanding of technicalities in game law in a non-res state (he was with a guide correct?).....the dirtbag kid not so much me thinks.

Yes, but Norton, the kid ain't passing himself, nor are others trying to pass him off as THE Spokesman for Hunters/Gun Owners.

That is where the difference comes in.

quote:

Originally posted by Norton:

quote:

Originally posted by GTR:
Speaking of poachers what should happen to Ted Nugent. Hes been caught poaching 2 times in about a 18 month period.



GTR

Can't see a difference between these two cases?

So to you, someone who grossly and repeatedly violates game laws should be treated the same as the guy who accidentally shoots an extra duck one time?

Perhaps Nugent's infractions were a misunderstanding of technicalities in game law in a non-res state (he was with a guide correct?).....the dirtbag kid not so much me thinks.

1. Yes I see a difference in the original posted case and Mr. Nugents case.

2. Not sure what your are referring to, did I miss something and the subject of the original post shoot an extra duck?

3. You dont ask a question here. I appreciate you point of view.


Now, Speaking of poachers what should happen to Ted Nugent? Hes been caught poaching 2 times in about a 18 month period.



GTR

I've had a moment to rethink this one.....in my mind, there is an enormous difference between minor and major violations. Major to me is killing game out of season, without a license, killing multiple extra animals, selling animal parts, etc. Minor is leaving your license in the truck, forgetting to sign your duck stamp, accidentally shooting an extra bird ONE time but not attempting to conceal it, not having enough orange on, etc. NO WAY do they deserve the same penalties. Above all, repeat offenses should carry stiffer penalties.

As CHC pointed out, Ted wishes to be our spokesperson and as such should be held to higher standards.....if he baited and shot an illegal buck then he's a fake idiot that obviously thinks the laws apply to everyone but himself. He should be prosecuted as any other citizen caught committing the same crimes.

As far as this kid.....he appears incorrigible and should be treated as such.

The young person, kid however you wish to put him is guilty.

From what I have read it was pre-meditated. Thought out. A plan put in action. A deer wrongfully killed.

He is a thief. A repeat offender. Just like a criminal on the street stealing cars or old lady’s purses. A Thief.

As such he should be treated as such. With two counts hanging over his head he should be charged with a felony. A FELONY. As a felon, he will lose his rights, as such, to carry or purchase firearms etc. He is like a rogue cat or wolf, once he gets the taste of blood he will come back for more.

He stole from US, hardworking people who pay their dues for a chance at a trophy deer.


Those trophy deer are fewer and farther apart.

This guy is not going to stop poaching by using conventional punishment.
Ive always been of the opinion, for example, that a second offending paedophile should be castrated and locked up for life with other paedophiles.
Maybe poachers could be housed in a high fence Ranch/bunkhouse to forage with the animals for a few years (poacher's prison; with no weapons of course).jc

C.H.C. I dont think you got the drift of Mr.Gibbs last post.(Or l did'nt)

On the contrary, I am not as dense as you think. 505Gibbs, has consistently defended poachers nearly every time the topic is btought up. He along with a few other people seem to think that situations such as the one with this kid, are just youthful mistakes and that the offenders need to be given a break.

There is a major difference between a kid shooting a deer and mis-tagging it, and a kid purposely on numerous occasions killing trophy animals, knowing it was illegal.

505Gibbs was being facetous with his cooment, surprisingly we have heard of that concept here in Texas, but personnally I don't see anything amusing about he young mans poaching escapades.

quote:

[QUOTE] This guy is not going to stop poaching by using conventional punishment.
Ive always been of the opinion, for example, that a second offending paedophile should be castrated and locked up for life with other paedophiles.

Yes and no. They should be incarcerated for life, Yes. Castrated, NO. Leave them intact and let them see what it is like to be raped.

THERMOPOLIS –– Nineteen year-old Colton Lapp pleaded guilty in Hot Springs Co District Court on Monday to three felony counts of knowingly taking an antlered deer during a closed season. His is the first application of Wyoming’s 2011 wildlife felony law. Although Lapp pleaded guilty to the three felony violations, and agreed to recommended in-carceration time and the lifetime loss of all hunt-ing, fishing and
trapping privileges, agreement on fines and restitution were not finalized during a hearing in front of Fifth Judicial District Judge Robert Skar.

During the court proceedings Lapp recounted the events to which he was pleading guilty. In le-gal terms he gave a factual basis for his guilty plea and subsequent sentencing. He, according to reports, admitted to killing a buck mule deer in Hot Springs County out of season on December 19, 2011; killing a buck mule deer out of season along the Black Mountain road east of Thermopolis on December 24, 2011; and to killing a buck mule deer out of season in the Legacy Reserve Oilfi eld east of Thermopolis on December 28, 2011. Lapp was also originally charged with two additional counts of knowingly taking an antlered mule deer Dec. 28, 2011 and six misdemeanor charges including five counts of taking wildlife while under suspension and shooting wildlife from a public road.
The two additional felony charges as well as misdemeanor charges will be dismissed as part of the plea agreement recommendation to Skar at a later date.The felony plea agreement, including recommendations on fi nancial matters yet to be resolved, will ultimately be presented to Judge Skar for his approval. In the plea agreement Lapp agreed to the suspension of his privilege to take any wildlife for life in Wyoming and the 36 states participating in the wildlife violation compact program. The agreement specifies that Lapp will face 18-24 month prison sentences consecutively for each of three felony counts. However, the agreement also contains a recommendation that Lapp participate in the prison’s “Boot Camp” program. The plea agree-ment notes that the state would not object to a sentence modifica-tion/reduction if Lapp successfully completes Boot Camp. Once Lapp, through his attorney Nick Carter, and the Hot Springs County Attorney’s office reach agreement on all the details and any remaining legal questions are resolved, Skar will schedule a sentencing hearing at which time he will accept or reject the agreement. That hearing has not been scheduled.

“It’s too bad this thing didn’t get concluded (Monday) but basi-cally it looks like Lapp will lose his privilege to hunt, fish and trap for life and he is going to the state penitentiary for at least a while” said Worland Game Warden Matt Lentsch. “We’ll wait and see what he has to pay once the attorneys argue the fi nes, restitution and forfeiture amounts,” Lentsch added. Lentsch noted that Wyoming Statue 23-3-102(d) mandates a minimum fi ne of $5,000 upon the conviction of knowingly taking an antlered deer out of season. The Wyoming Game and Fish Com-mission set the restitution value of a mule deer at $4,000. WS 23-3-102(d) also outlines the pro-cedure for the forfeiture of any equipment used in the violation of that statue, the warden pointed out. Lentsch said Lapp was charged as the fi rst felony wildlife case in Wyoming. The 2011 Wyoming Legislature amended W.S. 23-3-102(d) to state that the third and subsequent conviction within 10 years shall constitute a felony. Previously, Lapp has been con-victed of taking a 210-plus inch mule deer buck on Nov. 6, 2010 south of Worland and acting as an accessory to the illegal talking of another mule deer buck on Nov. 21, 2010 west of Burlington. He was sentenced Dec. 19, 2011 on the second buck. “To go out and illegally kill a buck two days after being sen-tenced to pay a $5,000 fine pretty much tells a lot about this poach-er. Then to go out and kill three more bucks within a week of that says even more.” Lentsch said. Lentsch also noted that Lapp “simply hacked the heads off of these bucks with a hatchet and left the carcasses to rot. It is this kind of heinous wildlife crimes that demonstrate the need for the felony provision,” Lentsch said. The investigation that led to Monday’s plea agreement be-gan Dec. 30, 2011 when Lentsch responded to a call of a head-less deer in the Legacy Reserve Oil Field east of Thermopolis. Lentsch found that the buck had been dumped off a road and the head had been hacked off. Lentsch said he had no sus-pects at the time. But, later that evening, accord-ing to information in the court documents and statements, Worland police officers Brad Horath and Kent Lombard had contact Lapp. During the contact, Horath noticed fresh blood and deer hair in the bed of Lapp’s pickup. Hortath notified Lentsch and Lentsch seized Lapp’s truck that night. “If it was not for Brad (Horath) telling me about the blood in the truck we probably would not have made this case,” Lentsch noted. Wyoming Game and Fish fo-rensics matched blood samples from the bed of the truck and the DNA of the headless buck. DNA of a second buck deer was also identified, Lentsch stated in a sworn affidavit. Documents also show Lentsch necropsied the headless deer and located a bullet that was fi red from Lapp’s rifle, which was also seized Dec. 30. A search warrant for Lapp’s cell phone messages was obtained by Lentsch and the phone records showed Lapp made multiple text messages saying “call me we got problems.” The phone number in the text messages corresponded with the phone owned by Gene Wehrman of Thermopolis. Wehrman was interviewed and he told wardens he accompanied Lapp on Dec. 28, 2011 and Lapp killed two buck mule deer and shot at but missed a third. Weh-rman told wardens one of the deer died next to the road so he and Lapp loaded it up and later dumped the carcass. It was this carcass that initiated the inves-tigation. Wehrman also provided information that indicated Lapp had killed a buck mule deer Dec. 21, and another buck off Black Mountain Road Dec. 24, 2011. Wehrman was charged as an accessory to the wanton destruction of a big game animal and was fi ned $2,000 and lost his hunting privileges for two years. Warden Supervisor Scott Werbelow interviewed Lapp and Lapp confessed to killing four mule deer bucks and shooting at another between Dec. 21 and 28, 2011. Once the investigation got rolling everything fit into place perfectly, Lentsch said. It is not every day when you have a case having a positive DNA match, a fi rearms match, an eye witness and a confession, Lentsch said.“Lapp’s pleading guilty to three felony charges is a fitting conclusion to this case,” he said. Lapp is scheduled for a probation violation hearing on July 20 in Park County for alleged violations stemming from the Dec. 19, 2011 sentencing.

I wish him luck in turning his life around and eventually being a law-abiding, productive member of society. If he gets busted again, I would agree with 20 years in a prison work camp.

That young man needs to get his head out of his azz and fly right! Boot camp surely will get him started in the right direction, but he needs to ask God for some help to let him see the light!
These are pretty serious crimes he did. And the fact that he did some to pay for the fines of the others is just mind boggling. Absolutely no respect for anything, including the law or the animals he mutilated.
I hope he gets his life sorted out.

It doesn't sound like he has much of a life to get turned around and to lose all hunting/ trapping/fishing priviledges for life at age 20 is a shame if he does get things turned around, but nobody forced him to do what he did. It just sounds like the poor kid didn't have a clue and to be so dumb as to do all those egregious acts so close together when he should have known he was on the radar of law enforcement is hard to comprehend. If he was stopped for a traffic offense that led to being busted on more game violations, he was obviously in need of being taken off the streets for a length of time.

CODY –– Colton Lapp, of Worland,
was sentenced in Park County
Circuit Court Friday for probation
violations that stem from a
deer poaching case.
Judge Bruce Waters is going
to require him to serve 180 days
(with 18 days credit served) in the
Park County jail beginning July
27.
That sentence should keep
Lapp behind bars until he is transferred
to Hot Springs County to
begin serving a felony sentence.
From then, the sentence from
Park County will run concurrent.
Lapp pled guilty in Hot Springs
County District Court on Monday
to three felony counts of knowingly
taking an antlered deer during
a closed season.
Those additional charges were
in violation of his probation from
the previous conviction in Park
County.
“Basically, he’s going to sit in
jail in Park County until they’re
ready for him in Hot Springs
County,” said Worland Game Warden
Matt Lentsch.
His plea agreement in Hot
Springs County included 18-24
month prison sentences consecutively
for each of three felony
counts. However, the agreement
also contained a recommendation
that he participate in the prison’s
“Boot Camp” program.
He also loses his hunting, fi shing
and trapping privileges for life
and a as-yet to be determined fi ne.
Lapp was originally sentenced
on Dec. 19 in Park County for
his second violation –– accessory
to take an antlered deer. He shot
deer on Dec. 21 and Dec. 24, and
two more on Dec. 28.
He received a six month probation
from his original charge
including 180 days suspended jail
time. Judge Waters basically reissued
that suspended jail sentence
during Friday’s hearing.
Lapp’s case is the fi rst application
of Wyoming’s 2011 wildlife felony
law that states the third and
subsequent conviction within 10
years will constitute a felony

Good !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today!


A judge sentenced Wyoming’s first person charged under a new felony poaching law on Monday.

Colton Lapp, 20, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of poaching. The Worland man was given three 18-to-24-month consecutive sentences with a recommendation for boot camp on the first count. If he does not successfully complete boot camp, he could face up to six years in the state penitentiary, said Matt Lentsch, the Worland game warden.

Lapp was fined $10,000 for each count, with $5,000 of each count suspended. He will pay $15,000 and if he violates his probation could pay the other $15,000. He was also ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution to go to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and lost his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for life and the rifle he used while poaching.

Lapp was convicted of three separate poaching incidents, all within just more than one year. The violations triggered the new felony poaching law for three convictions in a 10-year period.

Lentsch said he hopes this case will help deter people from poaching.

Well.............Thats much better than a "Slap on the wrist"!!!

That is a hefty sentence! I agree with all of it up to the point where he is banned from hunting, fishing and trapping FOR LIFE. I believe in rehabilitation, reconciliation and second chances on some things, this being one of them. Banning him for 5-10 years would seem adequete. My reasoning is that a lot of good life lessons come out of the outdoor sports. The older I get the more I respect being able to participate in them. The more I'm outdoors the more I can appreciate being there and sharing them with others. His actions have denied him that priveledge, I hope the sentence isn't to his or other's detriment.
With his track record he may be serving the whole enchilada if he doesn't let this get his attention.

Perry

convicted on 3 separate charges and anyone actually thinks he shouldn't be banned for life? hell this probably still won't even stop him from poaching

quote:

hell this probably still won't even stop him from poaching

That's what I am betting to. It has happened with other poachers in the area.

I am beginning to believe that the reason some folks think such sentences are too harsh, is that they really do not grasp the concept that ppoachers, especially ones like this kid, are career criminals.

Our prisons are full of them. It would be a wonderful world if such folks could be rehabilitated and become contributing members of our society. Reality is, that just don't work, it is the exception rather than the rule.

I figure that this young man will be heard from again repeating the actions that got him in this situation.

quote:

Originally posted by kudu56:

quote:

hell this probably still won't even stop him from poaching

That's what I am betting to. It has happened with other poachers in the area.

Well on the good side, WHEN he poaches again, lets hope he gets caught. Because then, he'll be a felon in possession of a firearm, and he'll end up doing hard time.