January 24, 2023 |
A Saratoga man accused of intentionally taking a big game animal out of season in September was found guilty Friday in District Court of a lesser charge.
After meeting with county prosecutors several times, Tom Arthur plead guilty to a low misdemeanor crime. Carbon County Circuit Court deputy clerk, Annette Green, described Arthur’s sentence.
Pictured above: File photo of a mule deer.
The court ordered Arthur to pay a fine of $5,000 plus $4,000 in restitution for taking a trophy game animal. He was placed on one year of unsupervised probation. A 30-day jail term was suspended.
Arthur is the owner of the Upper Cedar Creek Ranch, east of Saratoga. According to the citation issued on September 10th by game warden Levi Wood, the violation occurred on the northern edge of Arthur’s property.
Arthur’s original charge of intentionally killing an antlered game animal out of season comes with a minimum five-year loss of hunting privileges and fines of up to $10,000.
Judge Susan Stipe also revoked Mr. Arthur’s hunting privileges through 2026. The revocation is valid in all 48 states that belong to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. The judge stipulated that the revocation only applies to hunting licenses, not fishing.
Another person charged as an accessory after the fact in the same case, an employee at the ranch, is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on February 8th. Like Arthur, Joe Johnston will change his original not guilty plea to guilty.
