Arizona Game and Fish Department officials report that a Yuma man has pleaded guilty to the December 2009 poaching of a bighorn sheep ram near Yuma, Ariz., and has also received civil sanctions from the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

Angel Garcia Perez, 30, of Yuma, pleaded guilty in Yuma County Justice Court in January to the misdemeanor charge of unlawful possession of a bighorn sheep ram and received a fine of $617.00.

Additionally, during a civil hearing at its May meeting, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission revoked Perez’s hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for five years and assessed him $8,000 for the loss of the ram. Arizona is part of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which means that Perez’s hunting, fishing and trapping privileges will be revoked in all the member compact states, which includes most of the western United States.

Game and Fish officials said a second suspect, Gonzalo Guillen Bravo, 19, of Yuma, has also been charged with unlawful possession of the bighorn sheep ram and currently has a warrant out for his arrest for failure to appear.

The department received a tip in December through its Operation Game Thief hotline, a silent witness line the public can use to report wildlife violations confidentially. The bighorn sheep was killed during the closed season in the Laguna Mountain range located in the Gila Valley near Yuma.

Officers from the Game and Fish Region 4 (Yuma) office quickly investigated the case and obtained a search warrant on Perez’s residence. Officers found several evidentiary items, including bighorn sheep meat, a sheep hide, a sheep head, and the weapons used in the offense, and they subsequently cited the two suspects.

Officer Richard Myers, the investigator for the Yuma office, commended the public for its support in this case.

“Without the public’s help and watchful eye, we would have never solved this case,” said Myers. “With limited manpower and officers, the public’s assistance is a must to combat poaching and other wildlife law violations that occur here in Arizona.”

Myers added, “Poachers aren’t hunters, and the public should not confuse the two. Poachers steal from everyone because wildlife is managed in the public trust for all citizens to enjoy.”

Anyone who observes a wildlife law violation is encouraged to call the Operation Game Thief hotline toll-free at (800) 352-0700. Caller identities may remain confidential upon request. You can also report online at www.azgfd.gov/thief.

No jail time?

Rich
DRSS