Law enforcement
Posted Thursday, 25 October 2012 00:00
MOAB, UTAH AND GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO — Three Colorado men pleaded guilty to the 2008 illegal killing of half a dozen elk and mule deer in Utah's Book Cliffs.
Conservation Officer TJ Robertson of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources stated, "The severe disregard for wildlife and wildlife law in this case is appalling."
In October 2008, Erik Ambriz and Michael Gordon shot and killed a trophy bull elk in Bitter Creek Canyon. They tagged the bull with a Colorado resident youth archery license while transporting it back to Colorado. A call to the Utah Division of Wildlife Turn-in-a-Poacher (UTiP) hotline initiated an investigation into this incident, which uncovered several brazen wildlife crimes in Utah and Colorado.
Investigators learned that Ambriz, Gordon and Adam Boden shot and killed a cow elk in Utah that was sold in Colorado. They also shot a trophy bull elk in Colorado and offered to sell it to undercover investigators. The spree continued with two more bucks shot and killed near the mouth of Bitter Creek Canyon. The heads were severed and the carcasses left to waste. As investigators were closing in on them, Ambriz killed another 6 x 6 trophy bull elk near Wild Cow Wash in the Book Cliffs where it was left for Gordon to retrieve.
Gordon and Boden pleaded guilty to several class A misdemeanor charges of aiding and assisting in the Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife. Both were ordered to pay $4,000 each in restitution. Gordon was sentenced to pay $2,000 in fines and Boden was sentenced to pay $790 in fines.
Their hunting privileges have been revoked for 20 and 10 years, respectively, in Utah and 37 other states participating in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Ambriz served four years in the Colorado State Prison for the killing of a 6 x 6 trophy bull elk and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, prior to being arraigned in Utah on five felony charges. In a September 2012 plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to three third-degree felonies of Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife. He was ordered to pay $2,200 in fines and $4,000 in restitution. He was also sentenced to serve 120 days in the Grand County Jail in Moab.
Ambriz lost all wildlife license privileges in the state of Colorado for the remainder of his life. That suspension will be honored by all states in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
The combined efforts of concerned citizens and the collaboration of the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, brought a successful conclusion to this case.
Anyone who observes or suspects any wildlife violations is urged to call the UTiP hotline at 1-800-662-3337.
