Three Cheyenne Men Convicted of Game Violations

A Facebook posting and an anonymous stop poaching tip, helped convict  three Cheyenne men recently for their roles in the wanton destruction of a pronghorn, taking the animal out of season, and associated violations. On June 15, 2011, Cheyenne Game Warden Kyle Lash was alerted to the doe pronghorn that had been shot multiple times and left to waste near Federal, about 20 miles northwest of Cheyenne. The next day Lash received an anonymous tip identifying a suspect and further examination of that suspect’s Facebook page on June 17 revealed two other men involved with the crime.

When interviewed, the men cooperated and confessed to the crime.  19 year old  Dominick R. Apodaca pleaded guilty to wanton destruction of a big game animal and taking a big game animal from a vehicle. He was fined $1,100 for each charge and ordered to pay $300 to the Victim’s Compensation Fund. He was also ordered to pay $2,000 restitution, and forfeit three rifles used in the crime: .270 bolt action and two .22 semi-automatics. He also had his hunting and trapping license privileges revoked for three years and assessed a $50 public defender fee.

29 year old David W. Erb pleaded guilty to wanton destruction of a big game animal and using an

illegal caliber of firearm to take big game. He was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, plus $80 in court costs. He also forfeited his 9 millimeter pistol used in the crime and his hunting,fishing, and trapping privileges for three years.

21 year old Kevin Wolfe pleaded guilty to waste or abandonment of a big game animal and accessory to hunting big game during a closed season. He was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution and assessed $80 in court costs and placed on 12 months of unsupervised probation.

The game and fish says June 14 around 8 a.m. the men met at Wolfe’s residence near Federal to target shoot and coyote hunt. Around 10 a.m. on state school trust land, a doe pronghorn was

spotted running about 150 yards away. Apodaca reportedly climbed into the back of the pickup, leaned over the roof of the cab, took a shot, and wounded the animal.

The men then drove off the road through the section (in violation of state land rules) to chase down the wounded pronghorn. Once close enough, Erb jumped out of the truck and shot the animal with a 9 millimeter pistol and Apodaca with a .22 rifle. Then Wolfe also shot the animal with a .22 rifle. Each man shot multiple times. Erb posed with the animal and had his picture taken with his cell phone.The carcass was loaded into the truck and dumped about one-half mile away for coyote bait.