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DFG Press Release
6/28/02
ELK "GUIDE" GETS JAIL
EUREKA--A Humboldt County man has been nailed with a heavy fine and jail time for illegally guiding hunters in the illegal killing of elk, a clear example of the distinction the Department of Fish and Game makes between those who operate within hunting laws and those who don't.
"Licensed, legal hunting and fishing guides work hard to provide a quality experience for their clients," state game warden Paul Weldon said.
Weldon made his comments June 12 after Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Marilyn Miles slapped Orick resident Lawrence Edward Vaughn, 34, with a $6,000 fine and 120 days in jail. Vaughn faced the sentencing after pleading guilty to four charges, including illegal guiding, killing an elk for commercial purposes and illegally taking elk and deer.
Judge Miles left another $14,130 in fines hanging over Vaughn's head during a three-year probationary period. While on probation, Vaughn may not hunt or possess firearms.
Fish and Game arrested Vaughn and, in a separate case, Orick resident Gene Lewis Logan, 31, last September after DFG undercover officers paid cash for guide services during last fall's Klamath Elk Hunt in northern Humboldt and southern Del Norte counties.
Judge Dale Reinholtsen on May 16 sentenced Logan to pay a $1,350 fine and serve two years on probation after Logan pleaded guilty to one count of illegal guiding. He also is prohibited from hunting or possessing a firearm during his probation, with another $1,350 in fines waiting for him for any probation violation.
In an unrelated case, Vaughn was sentenced by Judge Miles to a concurrent 30 days in jail for the illegal take of a black bear. He also forfeited a rifle seized by wardens during the elk and deer investigation.
Both cases were handled by Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagen through the DA's special environmental prosecutor's office.
Weldon said DFG wardens served arrest and search warrants at the homes of Vaughn and Logan last Sept. 17, the culmination of incidents that resulted in the killings of three elk and three deer--all outside the bounds of legal elk and deer hunting authorized by the state on the north coast.
Fish and Game said Vaughn shot two elk in advance of the undercover wardens' arrival on the hunting scene. Logan led wardens into Redwood National Park, where a bull elk was killed, then transported to the legal elk hunt area to be gutted and tagged.
Wardens said they launched the undercover investigation after gathering information indicating both Logan and Vaughn were illegally guiding hunters. The pair drew suspicion because they had appeared at mandatory elk hunter orientation sessions even though they had not drawn a tag for the hunts.
The DFG said hunters face odds of as much as 150 to 1 in drawings for the limited number of elk hunting tags available within the five north coast special elk hunts held each year. Some employ legal guides to help them negotiate the sometimes rugged terrain of the hunt areas to pursue elk.
Weldon said guides must be licensed by Fish and Game. They must carry liability insurance, know first aid and CPR and be bonded, he said.
"Unlicensed guides cheat both their clients and the lawful guides," Weldon said.
"The fines handed down by Judge Miles and Judge Reinholtsen were appropriate for these serious, intentional game law violations," he added.
6/28/02
ELK "GUIDE" GETS JAIL
EUREKA--A Humboldt County man has been nailed with a heavy fine and jail time for illegally guiding hunters in the illegal killing of elk, a clear example of the distinction the Department of Fish and Game makes between those who operate within hunting laws and those who don't.
"Licensed, legal hunting and fishing guides work hard to provide a quality experience for their clients," state game warden Paul Weldon said.
Weldon made his comments June 12 after Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Marilyn Miles slapped Orick resident Lawrence Edward Vaughn, 34, with a $6,000 fine and 120 days in jail. Vaughn faced the sentencing after pleading guilty to four charges, including illegal guiding, killing an elk for commercial purposes and illegally taking elk and deer.
Judge Miles left another $14,130 in fines hanging over Vaughn's head during a three-year probationary period. While on probation, Vaughn may not hunt or possess firearms.
Fish and Game arrested Vaughn and, in a separate case, Orick resident Gene Lewis Logan, 31, last September after DFG undercover officers paid cash for guide services during last fall's Klamath Elk Hunt in northern Humboldt and southern Del Norte counties.
Judge Dale Reinholtsen on May 16 sentenced Logan to pay a $1,350 fine and serve two years on probation after Logan pleaded guilty to one count of illegal guiding. He also is prohibited from hunting or possessing a firearm during his probation, with another $1,350 in fines waiting for him for any probation violation.
In an unrelated case, Vaughn was sentenced by Judge Miles to a concurrent 30 days in jail for the illegal take of a black bear. He also forfeited a rifle seized by wardens during the elk and deer investigation.
Both cases were handled by Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagen through the DA's special environmental prosecutor's office.
Weldon said DFG wardens served arrest and search warrants at the homes of Vaughn and Logan last Sept. 17, the culmination of incidents that resulted in the killings of three elk and three deer--all outside the bounds of legal elk and deer hunting authorized by the state on the north coast.
Fish and Game said Vaughn shot two elk in advance of the undercover wardens' arrival on the hunting scene. Logan led wardens into Redwood National Park, where a bull elk was killed, then transported to the legal elk hunt area to be gutted and tagged.
Wardens said they launched the undercover investigation after gathering information indicating both Logan and Vaughn were illegally guiding hunters. The pair drew suspicion because they had appeared at mandatory elk hunter orientation sessions even though they had not drawn a tag for the hunts.
The DFG said hunters face odds of as much as 150 to 1 in drawings for the limited number of elk hunting tags available within the five north coast special elk hunts held each year. Some employ legal guides to help them negotiate the sometimes rugged terrain of the hunt areas to pursue elk.
Weldon said guides must be licensed by Fish and Game. They must carry liability insurance, know first aid and CPR and be bonded, he said.
"Unlicensed guides cheat both their clients and the lawful guides," Weldon said.
"The fines handed down by Judge Miles and Judge Reinholtsen were appropriate for these serious, intentional game law violations," he added.
