Second state man charged in illegal hunting probe

Associated Press

KENNEWICK — A second man has been accused of hunting violations in a probe stemming from a raid on a Kennewick archery shop.

Brian Sass, 31, Kennewick, was cited Monday by Oregon State Police in the two-state investigation into alleged illegal hunting.

No charges have been filed in Washington state, but Sgt. John McIntosh of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said an investigation is continuing.

Washington state game officers and Oregon State Police raided M&M Archery Shop on Saturday and cited Mike Mead, the shop’s owner, for illegally hunting game in Umatilla and Union counties in Oregon.

Oregon police issued citations accusing Mead of 20 game violations, including using bait to kill bear, waste of wildlife and several counts of using firearms during archery season.

"In my 22-year law enforcement career, I can only think of a handful of cases approaching the severity of this case. It’s compounded by the waste of animals, which is a real concern for us," said Tim Gallaher, an Oregon State Police trooper.

Mead could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Sass was accused in Oregon of two counts of aiding in taking elk with an artificial light, taking a buck deer with a firearm during archery season, taking a bear with no valid tag, borrowing a big game tag for bear and aiding in taking branched-antler bull elk during a closed season.

McIntosh said officers plan to interview a number of others associated with Mead’s archery shop.

Wildlife officers from Dayton, Wash., and LaGrande and Pendleton, Ore., have been investigating Mead for three years. The illegal hunting allegedly occurred over the past five years.

Police allege Mead illegally killed numerous big game animals, primarily elk and bear, in northeastern Oregon. Some of the elk were killed with the aid of a spotlight.

Police were alerted to the possible violations by other hunters, Gallaher said.

"We received complaints from other hunters who were upset that this kind of activity was going on," he said. "It’s very irritating for them. They don’t like it one bit."

Gallaher said some of the reports include allegations that hunters were baiting bear and then shooting them. Police believe nearly a dozen bears were illegally slaughtered. Numerous bear rugs and mounts were taken from Mead’s shop and home on Saturday.

Police also seized numerous other wildlife mounts, including branched-antlered bull elk and buck deer.

Trooper Stan Terry said Oregon game officers recovered one bear mount Monday from a taxidermist in Union County. Police said they also expect to seize four bears in various stages of mounting from taxidermists in Umatilla and Union County, Ore.