first person charged under Wyoming's new felony poaching law

[jnyork]

A 19-year-old Worland man is the first in the state to be charged under a new felony poaching law.

Colton Lapp allegedly killed four buck deer and shot at another near Thermopolis after being convicted twice of poaching, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Hot Springs County prosecutors charged him with five counts of felony poaching under a state law that went into effect in July. The law allows Game and Fish and prosecutors to charge people with a felony if they have been convicted of poaching three times within a 10-year period.

A first-time offender can only be charged with a misdemeanor, which carries up to one year in jail, no more than $10,000 in fines, loss of hunting and fishing privileges for five years and forfeiture of anything used during the crime.

For each felony count, Lapp faces up to two years in prison, no less than $5,000 or more than $10,000 in fines, as well as the other penalties. He could also lose his right to vote, carry firearms and run for public office. He is also facing several misdemeanor charges.

If convicted on all charges, Lapp could face more than 12 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

“We’ve had these sorts of chronic poachers over the years and there weren’t ways to deal with them,” said Scott Werbelow, the game warden supervisor in the Cody region who has dealt with parts of the Lapp case.

Wyoming’s chief game warden, Brian Nesvik, said this case is exactly why the Wyoming Game Warden’s Association asked for this law.

“This individual has repeatedly committed some of the most egregious wildlife violations,” Nesvik said.

In November 2010, Lapp shot and killed a large buck south of Worland, Werbelow said. Many local people knew Lapp had photographed the trophy buck.

After killing the buck, Lapp entered the head and rack into a big buck contest, Werbelow said. When officials served a search warrant in the first poaching, they found a second deer carcass.

An investigation turned up two other people, and Lapp was charged as an accessory to that crime. He was found guilty on his first poaching charge in April and as an accessory on the other in December.

On Dec. 29, Hot Springs County game warden Matt Lentsch began investigating a poaching near Thermopolis. The next day, Worland police officers told him they saw Lapp’s truck with a gun in the window and fresh animal blood and deer hair in the back, according to an arrest document attached to Lapp’s charges.

Officials searched Lapp’s truck and found more guns, a violation of his probation agreement, the document stated. After officials collected more evidence, Lapp told them that he shot four deer and shot at but missed another. Lapp cut heads off three of the deer and dumped the bodies, leaving the fourth.

He told officials that he “kills deer as a release of built up anger and frustration,” according to the charging document.

Lapp is free on a $10,000 bond in Hot Springs County while awaiting his next court appearance. He is also free on a $10,000 bond from Big Horn County and a $5,000 bond in Park County for charges associated with violating conditions of his probation for the previous crimes.

Nick Carter, a Gillette attorney representing Lapp, declined to comment before the preliminary hearing.

Lapp’s sentencing would be up to a judge, but Nesvik thinks the possibility of prison and becoming a felon could deter future poachers.


Reach Open Spaces reporter Christine Peterson at (307) 266-0524


Read more: http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional ... z1qWUVrqJ1

Very scary, his statement that he kills deer to "release pent up anger and frustration". How long before he graduates to people? Needs to be put away pronto, IMHO.
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[Griff]

Seems appropriate. Now if the Judge does his part.

[Borregos]

Seems appropriate. Now if the Judge does his part.

+1

[Pitchy]

Repeating law breakers should be prosecuted to the full extension of the law

[Meeteetse]

It is about time. Some of us have been lobbying for stricter penalties for a long time. Poaching makes all hunters look bad and the media loves to play to the anti-hunting crowd.

As far as the judge goes, most seem to do the right thing in this part of the country, especially in the most rural areas of the state, and since Wyoming is rural almost everywhere, the guy will probably get the book thrown at him. I don't know all the circumstances, but I would not want to be that guy.

[horsesoldier03]

Considering the fact that he is a MULTIPLE offender and this isnt his first experiance, I would say even that sounds a little light of a penalty. I hope they max him out.

[bgmkithaca]

Some people never learn, serves him right.

[kimwcook]

Short of having to seriously feed his family he deserves everything he gets. A mans got to do what a mans got to do to feed his family. But, if'n he's just lazy and won't get a job. Then throw the book at him.

[1894c]

Lapp the convicted fellon, "He told officials that he “kills deer as a release of built up anger and frustration,” according to the charging document."

He'll have lots of quality time to release his anger and frustration in prison.
He'll have new friends to help him with that process--boy is he going to be
popular...yikes... :o

[kimwcook]

That being said, get a rope.

[handirifle]

For each felony count, Lapp faces up to two years in prison, no less than $5,000 or more than $10,000 in fines, as well as the other penalties. He could also lose his right to vote, carry firearms and run for public office. He is also facing several misdemeanor charges.
_________________________

Darn, and he was on the right path to become a politician, oh wait, maybe NOW he is on the right path...........well maybe not, he got caught.

[El Chivo]

Short of having to seriously feed his family he deserves everything he gets. A mans got to do what a mans got to do to feed his family. But, if'n he's just lazy and won't get a job. Then throw the book at him.

note, he cut off the heads and dumped the bodies, the meat was wasted.

[horsesoldier03]

If a defendant gave me an answer like that and I was the judge, I would double his sentence!

[Huntsman]

Repeating law breakers should be prosecuted to the full extension of the law

I totally agree To add, he left game to rot. What a waste. He's definately not a hunter!! A "poacher" and or shooter...period!! Time in prison should give him plenty of time to think about his problem with "built up frustration & anger" especially when "Bubba" makes him his little........girl.....
What a shmuck!!

[1894c]

Repeating law breakers should be prosecuted to the full extension of the law

I totally agree To add, he left game to rot. What a waste. He's definately not a hunter!! A "poacher" and or shooter...period!! Time in prison should give him plenty of time to think about his problem with "built up frustration & anger" especially when "Bubba" makes him his little........girl.....
What a shmuck!!

not sure if anyone is actually named Bubba in Wyoming... --insert selected name of convicted Wyoming felon here--

[JohndeFresno]

Lapp the convicted fellon, "He told officials that he “kills deer as a release of built up anger and frustration,” according to the charging document."

Put him safely away before his anger morphs into attacks on his neighbors!

[olyinaz]

Lapp the convicted fellon, "He told officials that he “kills deer as a release of built up anger and frustration,” according to the charging document."

Put him safely away before his anger morphs into attacks on his neighbors!

Exactly.

Oly

[Batman1939]

Short of having to seriously feed his family he deserves everything he gets. A mans got to do what a mans got to do to feed his family. But, if'n he's just lazy and won't get a job. Then throw the book at him.

It doesn't sound like he was feeding his family since he was cutting the heads off and leaving the bodies (in the field?). There is really no excuse for this behavior.

OOPS !! I just finished reading earlier comments; I was not the first to reach this conclusion.

[jnyork]

I dont buy the arguement that it's OK to poach as long as you are feeding your family the meat. Get a job and go buy groceries for your family, that's the way real men do things. You poach, you get caught , you get fined thousands of dollars and go to jail for 6 months or a year, yeah, that helps your family a whole lot, doesn't it?

[msmith1228]

A couple of years two young men were caught poaching deer on a farm next to the one we own. The game wardens had the total at 38 but the actual total was quite a bit higher. They shot them at night, cut the heads off and left the bodies to rot. They received a $ 400.00 fine and one year probation. It made quite an impact on the deer population in the area.

[2571]

Entered the trophy head in a local buck contest.

Tienne huevos muy grandes.

[jnyork]

Tienne huevos muy grandes.

Does that mean "stupid"?

[smokenrust]

don't them poachers make the best DNR law enforcement agents around? We had three I know of in this area that got caught doing illegal things. they were told they had two choices, throwed in jail or work for them...

[Canuck Bob]

Cutting off heads and leaving the rest to rot might be appropriate! This type of poaching is a crime against nature and decent society. It looks like they want him to be the poster boy for this new law. Wyoming's resolve to do something to halt this behavior is to be applauded.

I still maintain if he was feeding his kids a deer occasionally due to hard times that is one thing to look away from. But three head poaching charges in less than 12 months and blatant parole violations sure says a lot.

[CalvinMD]

How would Tom Horn have handled this I wonder?? Hmmm