A Michigan poacher lost his hunting license for life after he killed endangered gray wolves and protected bald eagles.
Kurt Johnston Duncan, 56, of Chippewa County, will also spend three months in jail for hunting those animals among other species, Fox News reported. He owes $27,000 for the animals he killed and $9,240 in court costs. And he is forbidden to hunt in the 48 states that take part in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Duncan killed 18 gray wolves, M Live reported. He also killed three bald eagles, plus deer, turkey and bobcat, committing a total of 125 wildlife misdemeanor crimes.
“This is a historical case for the division and department,” Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division Chief Gary Hagler said. “We hope this poaching case acts as a deterrent to criminals for committing future wildlife crimes such as this. Our officers did an excellent job working as a team and building this investigation so it could move quickly through the criminal justice system.”
Authorities ordered Duncan to forfeit all items like firearms and snares that were seized by the DNR when they executed their search warrants.
In a statement on Duncan’s arraignment, DNR officials said law enforcement detectives believed Duncan was using the animals for crafts. He was also selling them, or simply getting rid of them. The detectives added that Duncan was killing the animals because he could and because he “like[d] to do it.”
DNR officials have also found other suspects they plan to bring charges against, according to the Detroit News.
Duncan has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court has ordered him not to have contact with his co-defendants. And it has forbidden him to keep a firearm or any dangerous weapon.
