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Law Enforcement; Licenses and Permits; Lands Management; Wildlife
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 20, 2022) — A Calloway County judge recently fined four Kentucky men and a New Jersey man nearly $70,000 after accepting guilty pleas related to 135 charges of illegally guiding hunters and illegal use of bait.
Conservation officers with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources uncovered the violations during an investigation into illegal guiding in western Kentucky.
“Our officers serve on the front lines of conservation," said Col. Eric Gibson, director of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement Division. “We are proud of their diligence in protecting our fish and wildlife resources and ensuring equal opportunity for the hunters and anglers who follow the rules."
Carl Doron, of Murray, Kentucky, and four of his employees at Snipe Creek Outfitters entered their pleas on Dec. 13 in Calloway District Court.
Casey Naber, assistant Calloway County attorney, said it was the county's largest wildlife violation case in recent memory.
“It was a big deal here – one defendant had around 100 charges," Naber said. “We hope this will serve as a deterrent to others."
Doron, 64, pleaded guilty to 97 charges relating to guiding without a license and two counts of baiting deer in a CWD (chronic wasting disease) Surveillance Zone.
Calloway County is one of five counties in the western Kentucky CWD Surveillance Zone, where special restrictions prohibit the use of bait to attract deer. Baiting causes unnatural concentration of wild deer and can increase the risk of disease transmission. Although CWD has not been detected in Kentucky, the proximity of the disease's occurrence in northwestern Tennessee requires special regulations in these counties per Kentucky's CWD Response Plan.
Four of Doron's employees pleaded guilty to 36 total charges relating to guiding without a license.
Doron received a $50,500 fine and a 360-day sentence. The jail sentence will not be imposed if Doron meets the conditional discharge requirements over the next two years.
Calloway District Judge Randall A. Hutchens ordered that Doron could not incur additional hunting violations as part of the conditional discharge requirements. The court will recommend a six-year suspension of guide license privileges if Doron commits any additional violations over the next two years.
Commercial guide licenses are issued by the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. A license is required of anyone who advertises or is paid for offering services to others to take wildlife. A person who is convicted of a fish or wildlife violation during the previous three years cannot receive a guide license.
Hutchens also ordered Doron to pay $5,750 in restitution to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife for costs incurred during the investigation.
Ort was fined $8,500 and received a 360-day sentence suspended on conditional discharge. Mitchell was fined $3,000; Smith and Sullivan were fined $4,500 and $2,000 respectively.
Kentucky's conservation officers are sworn law enforcement officers with statewide jurisdiction, and have a primary mission focus on hunting, fishing and boating laws.
Conservation officers work to ensure compliance with hunting and fishing laws so that the state's lands and waterways are safe and afford opportunities for all to enjoy fish and wildlife recreation by utilizing a two-pronged approach consisting of education and enforcement.
Fish, wildlife or boating violations can be reported to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife by calling 1-800-25-ALERT. In an emergency, or when there is an urgent need for law enforcement, calling 9-1-1 remains the best course of action.
Anonymous tips also can be made by texting “KFWLAW" along with a message to 847411 (tip411), or through the KFWLaw app. The free app can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
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