Cruelty, illegal importing alleged at game ranch
Saginaw, MI (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Apr 8, 2009
County: Saginaw

Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Scott Turner
» Janet Turner

State investigators have filed dozens of charges against the owner and the operator of a Saginaw County game ranch, accusing them of cruelty to animals and illegally importing elk.

Scott Turner, 45, operator of Michigan Trophy Hunts, was arraigned Wednesday in district court on 54 counts. Also charged was his 74-year old mother, Janet Turner, who owns the ranch.

The charges follow a yearlong investigation by the state departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture.

DNR spokeswoman Mary Detloff said elk were smuggled into the ranch after Michigan's borders were closed to out-of-state elk and deer in April 2002. The ban was imposed to keep chronic wasting disease out of Michigan.

Phone and e-mail messages seeking comment were left with the ranch Thursday.

The state agencies began the investigation in March 2008 after receiving complaints about the ranch, Detloff said. Officials obtained warrants to conduct an inventories of Michigan Trophy Hunts' elk, deer and business records.

Investigators found that the Turners had obtained elk from Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota and Canada, Detloff said.

They also found that some elk were malnourished, prompting two felony charges of animal cruelty, she said. More than 200 elk and hundreds of wild boars were on the nearly 500-acre ranch.

In addition to illegal elk importation, the Turners also were charged with failure to maintain animal health records and with violating health and animal enclosure codes.

Each animal cruelty charge is punishable by up to four years in prison and fines. The other charges are misdemeanors with penalties including up to 90 days in jail and fines.

The Turners were released on a $97,000 bond.

References

• « MI State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Saginaw County, MI

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