12-18-2006, 05:10 PM
LINCOLN, Neb. - Three men recently were fined heavily after they pleaded guilty to a variety of game law violations stemming from the killing of a hawk and the illegal take of several mourning doves near Minden.
The three were ordered by the Kearney County Court to pay $1,300 in fines and $450 in liquidated damages, and two of the men lost their hunting, fishing and fur harvest privileges for one year.
Shane R. Albers, 19, of Minden and James D. Morris, 18, of Kearney, each pleaded guilty to eight charges. They each were fined $450, each was ordered to pay $150 in liquidated damages, and each had their hunting, fishing and fur harvest privileges revoked for one year.
Calvin R. Steinmark, 19, of Odessa, pleaded guilty to seven charges. He was fined $400 and ordered to pay $150 in liquidated damages.
The men were arrested after Nebraska Conservation Officer Dale Johnson received information from the Kearney Police Department about a Swanson's hawk being shot southwest of Minden. Johnson and United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Mark Webb investigated the incident and made the arrests.
"These three men should not be
with hunters," said Wes Loos, assistant administrator of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's law enforcement division. "They were just three guys with a shotgun that wanted to shoot something. None of them had a hunting license and they did all of the shooting from a vehicle. They shot the hawk, a protected species, while it was sitting on a telephone pole and then left it wounded in the field to die. The doves they shot were sitting on telephone lines."
Anyone who witnesses or has knowledge of a game law violation is encouraged to call the Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers toll-free hotline, 1-800-742-7627 to report the violation. The hotline will be answered by a Game and Parks Commission staff member from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. After hours and on weekends and holidays, it is answered by the Nebraska Crimestoppers operator and information is relayed to a Commission conservation officer. Persons reporting a violation are not required to give their name or appear in court, but they may be eligible for a cash reward.
The three were ordered by the Kearney County Court to pay $1,300 in fines and $450 in liquidated damages, and two of the men lost their hunting, fishing and fur harvest privileges for one year.
Shane R. Albers, 19, of Minden and James D. Morris, 18, of Kearney, each pleaded guilty to eight charges. They each were fined $450, each was ordered to pay $150 in liquidated damages, and each had their hunting, fishing and fur harvest privileges revoked for one year.
Calvin R. Steinmark, 19, of Odessa, pleaded guilty to seven charges. He was fined $400 and ordered to pay $150 in liquidated damages.
The men were arrested after Nebraska Conservation Officer Dale Johnson received information from the Kearney Police Department about a Swanson's hawk being shot southwest of Minden. Johnson and United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Mark Webb investigated the incident and made the arrests.
"These three men should not be
with hunters," said Wes Loos, assistant administrator of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's law enforcement division. "They were just three guys with a shotgun that wanted to shoot something. None of them had a hunting license and they did all of the shooting from a vehicle. They shot the hawk, a protected species, while it was sitting on a telephone pole and then left it wounded in the field to die. The doves they shot were sitting on telephone lines." Anyone who witnesses or has knowledge of a game law violation is encouraged to call the Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers toll-free hotline, 1-800-742-7627 to report the violation. The hotline will be answered by a Game and Parks Commission staff member from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. After hours and on weekends and holidays, it is answered by the Nebraska Crimestoppers operator and information is relayed to a Commission conservation officer. Persons reporting a violation are not required to give their name or appear in court, but they may be eligible for a cash reward.