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
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
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.
Case UpdatesA mother and son who own and operate a Saginaw County game ranch will go to trial on charges of illegally possessing and mistreating herds of exotic animals.
Scott Turner, 45, operator of Michigan Trophy Hunts, and his 74-year old mother, Janet Turner, who owns the ranch, waived their preliminary hearings on the evidence last week. Their 27-charge case was bound over to Circuit Court.
The Turners were arraigned in April on charges including animal cruelty, misrepresenting animals' health to potential buyers, violating importation laws on deer and elk, food law violations and not taking care of animal corpses.
The Turners could face potential penalties of up to four years in prison, a $15,000 fine and community service. The Saginaw News says both are free on personal recognizance bonds. | Source: Chicago Tribune - Nov 15, 2009
Update posted on Nov 15, 2009 - 1:17PM |
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