Cooperation among Kansas citizens, and law enforcement officers from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently resulted in a federal indictment of rancher Dwight Krebs of Scott City, Kansas, and his employee, Jim Jenkins, for violations of the Airborne Hunting Act, and the Lacy Act, as well as state wildlife laws. The case involved the use of an airplane to drive deer to hunters.
The airplane involved was seized as evidence, but late in September Krebs paid $89,000 to the USFWS, in lieu of forfeiture of the aircraft. On November 23, Krebs was sentenced to 3 years supervised probation, including no hunting in the United States and no possession of firearms for 3 years, and payment of $15,000 restitution to Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Last October, Jenkins was sentenced to 3 years supervised probation, including no hunting in the United States for 3 years, no possession of firearms for 3 years, home confinement for 2 months, and forfeiture of a Ruger rifle.
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Law Enforcement Division Director, Kevin Jones, said, "I think this is an excellent example of how the system should work," citing the cooperation among local citizens, and state and federal officials. "By working together, the public, state, and federal authorities, and by properly applying both state and federal law, the violator was brought to justice," Jones continued, ?the penalties assessed truly reflect the value of the wildlife resources in Kansas from both the aesthetic and economic standpoints.?
Roger Gephart, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the USFWS Office of Law Enforcement overseeing enforcement efforts in Kansas stated, "We are pleased with the results of this investigation and the working relationship we have with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. This settlement sends a clear message to those who choose to take wildlife unlawfully. We endorse hunting as a management tool and we will continue to enforce the regulations to the best of our ability.?
Additionally, Regional Law Enforcement Supervisor Mel Madorin said he would like to extend his thanks to the public for their assistance in this case.
- FWS -
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
Visit the Mountain Prairie website at: http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov
