Two Men Convicted in Phillips County Illegal Hunting Case
By angelamontana

Posted: November 20, 2013

A Malta man and a Nevada man have been convicted and sentenced on hunting-related charges in Phillips County Justice Court.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 6 Criminal Investigator Lennie Buhmann, Charles G. Mahan, 37, of Malta was charged with:

  • · Two misdemeanor counts of outfitting without a valid license in 2009;
  • · one count of possessing an unlawfully killed antelope buck in 2009;
  • · one count of hunting a game animal without a valid license in 2009;
  • · three counts of hunting in 2009, 2010 and 2011 while privileges were revoked;
  • · one count of unlawfully possessing a bull elk in 2009;
  • · one count of harassing a game animal with a motor vehicle in 2009;
  • · one count of unlawfully possessing another person’s hunting license in 2009;
  • · one count of selling an unlawfully killed buck deer in 2010;
  • · two counts of possessing an unlawfully killed buck deer in 2010;
  • · one count of using another person’s hunting license in 2011;
  • · one count of possessing an unlawfully killed cow elk, also in 2011;
  • · one count of soliciting another hunter to hunt after legal shooting hours in 2009.

Buhmann said Mahan, who had previously lost his privileges in Montana for life for killing another elk without a valid license, recently entered into a plea agreement. He paid fines and restitution totaling $6,310 and was sentenced to 180 days in jail to be served under house arrest. Mahan also can no longer accompany any hunters in the field.

Two sets of whitetail antlers, two sets of elk antlers, one cow elk and one set of antelope horns were recovered from Mahan

In a related case, Lawrence Myers, 58, of Sparks, NV, was charged in Phillips County Justice Court with two misdemeanor counts of possessing illegally killed bull elk, two counts of hunting elk without a valid license, and two counts of illegally using another person’s elk license.

Myers was fined a total of $3,430 for the six violations that took place during the 2008 and 2009 hunting seasons. He also lost his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges in Montana and the 38 other states participating in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

“These convictions were the result of a multi-year investigation by the Region 6 enforcement team,” said Warden Dirk Paulsen of Chinook. “We’re grateful that justice has been served.”

(Report by Montana FWP; Photo: kyleperryphotography.com)

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