Poaching 12 deer, 5 elk, 1 antelope, golden eagle
Larimer, CO (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Nov 30, 2005
County: Larimer
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Steven Herrmann
Investigators arrested a man in Kentucky on charges of poaching wildlife in Larimer County.
Police said Steven Herrmann liked to shoot deer and elk in northern Colorado, but was not a hunter. "Mr. Herrmann was not a hunter, he was a poacher stealing from the people of Colorado," said Tyler Baskfield of the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Baskfield said Herrmann illegally killed at least 12 deer and five elk and is also accused of poaching an antelope and a golden eagle, possibly to sell feathers on the black market. "Mostly Mr. Herrmann was after the trophy parts and he got a real rush from this type of behavior," Baskfield said. "For him it was a challenge to see how many he could get away with." Investigators said Herrmann would do his poaching at night in remote places.
Wildlife officials said this time of year, animals like deer and elk are especially vulnerable to poachers because they are often killed just for their antlers.
Herrmann was transferred to Larimer County Detention Center where he was charged with 12 felony counts of destroying wildlife and held on a $100,000 bond. "We're gonna chase you down whether its Hawaii, Alaska or any other state, in this case Kentucky, we're gonna find you if you're behaving like that in Colorado," Baskfield said.
If convicted, Herrmann faces up to 36 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 2006. References« CO State Animal Cruelty Map
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