Wolf poacher fined in Pend Oreille County

[Ridgeratt]

http://www.khq.com/story/37361813/wolf-poacher-fined-in-pend-oreille-county


NEWPORT, Wash. -
A man from Liberty Lake was fined $8,293 in Pend Oreille County District Court Thursday in a plea bargain agreement for killing two wolves.
Terry Leroy Fowler, 55, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful taking of endangered wildlife, while a third count was dismissed under the agreement. Fowler will pay $8,000 in restitution to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and $293 in court costs. A 364-day jail sentence was suspended, but Fowler will be required to spend 30 days under home electronic monitoring.
WDFW Police Capt. Dan Rahn said the department began investigating the case in late February of 2016, while following up on a wolf mortality near the LeClerc Creek Road in Pend Oreille County. Evidence at the scene led WDFW police to property owned by Fowler.
In March 2016, WDFW served search warrants on Fowler’s cabin in Pend Oreille County, and on his residence in Liberty Lake in Spokane County. Rahn said WDFW police found evidence of wolf trapping, wolf hair, tissue, scat, and two skulls.
In December 2016, the department received the results of a DNA analysis of evidence samples confirming they were from three separate wolves.
WDFW referred charges of three counts of unlawful taking of endangered wildlife to the Pend Oreille County Prosecutor’s Office in early 2017. The plea bargain agreement was finalized Thursday after a number of court hearing continuances.
Wolves are listed as endangered throughout Washington by the state and in the western two-thirds of the state under federal law. Washington had at least 115 wolves in 20 known packs, including at least 10 breeding pairs as of March 2017, when WDFW issued its last population estimate. The wolves in this case were within the Goodman Meadows pack range.
The illegal killing of a wolf or other endangered fish or wildlife species is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
Two other wolf poaching cases in northeast Washington remain under investigation. One involves the killing of a radio-collared female wolf, once part of the Profanity Peak pack in Ferry County, whose carcass was found Dec. 5, 2017, about 15 miles southwest of Republic. The other case involves a dead female wolf found by hunters on Nov. 12, 2017 within the range of the Dirty Shirt pack, about 10 miles southeast of Colville in Stevens County.
Rahn encouraged anyone who might have relevant information about these cases to contact WDFW at 877-933-9847 or 360-902-2936.

[timberfaller]

So this is how they plan on recouping the wasted money for the "wolf lady"!!

[KFhunter]

I've said it over and over folks, it's not worth it.

The wolves will multiply and make up for any losses this guy inflicted on the pack, the deer/elk he "saved" will still be eaten. 
His "management" of the local pack is short lived, but his record is not.

Fight tooth and nail to get wolves managed, but don't do it yourself, it harms everyone involved.

[Southpole]

How did the wdfw have a clue about the guy killing wolves in the first place? Did someone rat him out?

[Skyvalhunter]

I've said it over and over folks, it's not worth it.

The wolves will multiply and make up for any losses this guy inflicted on the pack, the deer/elk he "saved" will still be eaten. 
His "management" of the local pack is short lived, but his record is not.

Fight tooth and nail to get wolves managed, but don't do it yourself, it harms everyone involved.

Spoken like a true moderator

[Duckslayer89]

30 day house arrest for killing a parasite...

[robodad]

Can we take up a collection to help this guy pay the fine 

[The scout]

  exactly what I was thinking when I read the title

[wolfbait]

"Terry Leroy Fowler, 55, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful taking of endangered wildlife"

There needs to be a lawsuit against WDFW!

Washington's wolves are not endangered, when will WDFW be held accountable for their wolf introduction corruption?

[Boss .300 winmag]

The devil is in the details how he got caught, he owned the land they were killed on, and he kept the skulls, plus traps with evidence on them, this guy is a rocket scientist. 

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Glad he was caught!  He's a scum bag poacher and his kind is not welcome in the hunting community.

[KFhunter]

"Terry Leroy Fowler, 55, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful taking of endangered wildlife"

There needs to be a lawsuit against WDFW!

Washington's wolves are not endangered, when will WDFW be held accountable for their wolf introduction corruption?

It's too bad he plead guilty, but I know it's a lot easier (and cheaper)

I still would like someone to challenge the endangered species thing, and I'd like someone to submit DNA to the court and try the hybrid angle.  They're all hybrid by a small amount, but at what % do we call an animal pure? 

[teanawayslayer]

Glad he was caught!  He's a scum bag poacher and his kind is not welcome in the hunting community.

did you know him personally?

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Glad he was caught!  He's a scum bag poacher and his kind is not welcome in the hunting community.

did you know him personally?

He shot an animal with no open season.  He is a poacher.  What more do you need? Want me to draw you a picture?

[hunter399]

LeClerc Creek Road is very close to Idaho border,im surprised he didn't play the I shot them in Idaho card.