DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah, May 8, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — The Division of Wildlife Resources, acting on tips, has apprehended and prosecuted several poachers who killed game illegally in Duchesne and Uintah counties.
One case involved William (Billy) August Thompson who had possibly killed a large bull elk and several cow elk in Uintah and Duchesne counties in the fall of 2016.
Investigators interviewed Thompson and his wife, Jennifer Thompson, at their home in Mount Emmons.
“During his interview, William admitted to illegally killing at least three bull elk, two cow elk and a deer in Tridell,” a DWR statement says.
“But the poaching wasn’t limited to William. Officers also learned that Jennifer had illegally killed one cow elk and one deer in the same area. Officers then seized three sets of bull elk antlers, meat from two elk, one rifle and a bow from the Thompson home.”
More confessions were forthcoming.
“He admitted killing a total of four bull elk (including two trophy bulls), four cow elk and two buck deer. William, who is a convicted felon, also admitted to killing most of the animals with a rifle, which he isn’t permitted to have,” the statement says.
“He also admitted to fraudulently buying duplicate tags to put on additional animals, buying a tag in his grandfather’s name, killing and tagging a trophy bull with his wife’s tag, and helping her kill a cow elk and a doe deer. Jennifer admitted to killing the cow elk and the doe deer.
“As officers continued their investigation, they learned the poaching didn’t stop with William and Jennifer, either: William admitted helping George Walsh — Jennifer’s stepfather from East Meadow, New York — kill a buck deer, a doe deer and a cow elk in Tridell, all without legal tags.”
Billy Thompson will:
- Pay almost $17,000 in restitution and fines
- Serve 107 days in jail
- Be on probation for 36 months
He also could lose his hunting privileges for the next 65 years in 47 states, including Utah, that are part of the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact.
Jennifer Thompson was ordered to:
- Pay a court fine of $500
- Pay $1,900 to the Help Stop Poaching fund
- Serve 10 days in the Uintah County Jail
- Serve 36 months of probation
She could lose her hunting privileges in all the states involved in the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact for 17 years.
Walsh is still going through the court process. If convicted, he could pay up to $1,550 to the Help Stop Poaching fund, serve jail time and lose his hunting privileges for 17 years, the statement said.
Another tip in fall 2016 resulted in the investigation of Kenneth (Kenny) Swenson, Jr., of Roosevelt. The tipster indicated that Swenson was poaching cow elk and pheasants in Duchesne County.
“The officer quickly confirmed that Mr. Swenson was a felon and should not be in possession of firearms,” the DWR statement says. “The officer also confirmed that Mr. Swenson did not have any valid hunting licenses for 2016.”
“As the case unfolded, it became apparent that Swenson had killed more than cow elk. DWR officers discovered that he had killed a trophy bull elk on the Wasatch limited-entry unit near Strawberry Reservoir in Wasatch County,” the DWR statement says.
“He had also assisted his 12-year-old son and 15-year-old stepson in killing two trophy bull elk on the South Slope Yellowstone/Bonanza/Vernal unit in Duchesne County. He also didn’t stop at illegally harvesting elk. He killed two buck deer in the Book Cliffs limited-entry unit in Uintah County and assisted his wife, Marie Swenson, in killing a large buck in the same area. These animals were all killed without legal permits. Some of the animals were tagged with Ute Tribe big game tags, which Swenson had fraudulently purchased.”
Swenson was pulled over in December 2016, and “was found in possession of two handguns and several vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana, heroin, pills and methamphetamine. He was interviewed by a DWR investigator and admitted to killing or assisting in the killing of three elk and two deer. However, he would not tell DWR officers where the antlers of the harvested animals were located.”
DWR officers served 14 search warrants on several buildings, vehicles, phones, GPS units and Facebook profiles. One of the searches, conducted in an RV at Swenson’s residence, produced nearly 50 firearms that Mr. Swenson used for hunting. DWR officers seized a rifle suspected of being used to kill the trophy elk in Wasatch and the deer in the Book Cliffs. Later, it was discovered many of these firearms were stolen.”
Swenson pleaded guilty in Duchesne County on Dec. 11, 2017, to two counts of wanton destruction of protected wildlife, both third-degree felonies.
Swenson was ordered to:
- Pay $16,000 dollars to the Help Stop Poaching fund
- Serve no more than five years in prison for each charge
- He also lost lost all his hunting privileges for 28 years
Swenson will still face charges in Wasatch County, where he could pay up to $8,000 in restitution and lose an additional 14 years of hunting privileges.
Swenson’s two class A misdemeanor charges of wanton destruction of protected wildlife and other drug-related charges in Uintah County were dismissed because he is currently in a federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon.
On Jan. 11, 2018, Marie Swenson pleaded guilty in Uintah County to one count of wanton destruction of protected wildlife, a class B misdemeanor.
- She was ordered to pay $400 to the Help Stop Poaching fund
- She lost her big game hunting privileges for three years
“We’d like to extend our thanks to those who help us out by reporting poachers. If you witness suspicious activity or any wildlife violations, please call the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher (UTiP) Hotline at 800-662-3337 or submit a report online.
Rewards might be available to those who provide information that leads to the successful prosecution of the individuals who break the law. Requests for confidentiality are respected and honored.”
