Posted on 06/04/2014 9:00:22 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
A former Boulder police officer was convicted Tuesday of killing a bull elk that had become a treasured companion in an upscale neighborhood and whose death sparked marches, prayer vigils and at least one tribute song.
A jury found Sam Carter guilty of nine charges. He could face up to six years in prison after shooting the animal known as Big Boy last year as it grazed beneath a crabapple tree ...
'It is so rare for an animal to get any semblance of justice in our court system,'
Carter argued that the elk had become dangerously domesticated and was scaring local dogs.
But prosecutors told the jury the killing was a case of poaching by an officer who sought to use his position to get an illegal trophy mount.
After shooting the elk, prosecutors said, Carter called a friend and former officer to pick up the carcass and butcher it.
They also said Carter later forged a tag to pass off the dead animal as road kill.
'They had no right to use their standing as police officers to poach this animal and lie about it,' Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett said.
The trial opened with debate over whether the elk's prior 'bad conduct' could be used as evidence, and whether jurors familiar with Big Boy could be impartial....
The charges against Carter included three felonies — forgery, tampering with evidence, and attempting to influence a public official.
Misdemeanor counts against him included misconduct, illegal possession of a trophy elk, conspiracy to commit illegal possession of wildlife, unlawfully taking a big game animal out of season, and unlawful use of an electronic communication device to unlawfully take wildlife.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
We can’t keep rapists in prison because there isn’t room. Obama just let thousands of felons out because they were undocumented Democrats. It costs probably north of $30,000 per year to keep somebody there. Can’t we have him do something other than prison? It was an elk.
Surprised Officer didn’t get the death sentence. In a few years from now though and Officer doing this type of action(s) could.
Killing the elk was one thing... trying to abuse his status as a cop in an effort to get away with it is, IMHO, a much more serious crime.
Cop shoots dog. No Problem.
Cop shoots an elk. Now THAT’s a problem.
You stole my thunder. I was going to add that we have a US Marine in prison in Mexico for making a wrong turn on the San Diego border but people protest the killing of an elk. People are honestly total self absorb idiots. I simly cannot describe how stupid this is.
He should lose his position and he should do whatever time is standard for forgery first offense, six months or thereabouts.
There are probably murderers in CO that have served less than 9 years.
I can’t shoot an elk in the Boulder City limits.
The jack booted thug clearly thought he didn’t have to follow the rules that peasants have to follow and I very pleased to see him find out differently.
If he wanted to get away with killing on duty he should have picked a homeless guy or a baby in his crib.
why bother with buying licenses, gear, tags, taking time off from work just to have cheats step in and help themselves...
9 yrs sounds long, but this arrogant cop at least needs a year or two and a huge fine plus denial of hunting priviledges for many years.
“Killing the elk was one thing... trying to abuse his status as a cop in an effort to get away with it is, IMHO, a much more serious crime. “
I agree. But practically every day you read about somebody getting out because there isn’t room or they’re too fat. (Really.) There should be something else.
Locally, several years ago the top officer in charge of enforcing wildlife laws (forget his title) shot a deer out of season and lied about it. He got fired.
Lol
Boulder....even the name is stoned
I would support that sort of thing in this case. Let him pay a fine or whatever, but don't ever let him be a cop again.
If killing the elk was such a small thing then why did this cop commit multiple felonies to cover it up.
How many people were put in prison by this cop for committing the same kind of felonies — and why should he be above the law???
“I would support that sort of thing in this case. Let him pay a fine or whatever, but don’t ever let him be a cop again. “
WE HAVE A WINNER! Why should the taxpayers pay north of a quarter million dollars to keep him in medical care, food and cable? (If he had kidney failure, in many states he goes to the top of the transplant list so the state can minimize its expenses.)
So Right. It’s worse because of the authority he wields. Probably enjoys roughing up kids in traffic stops (happened to me when I was a kid).
Actually, I would think his falsification of an official document would call into question any police report he ever wrote, and any conviction based on the strength thereof...
Only because he didn’t accuse the elk of making threatening gestures.
Speaking of animal abuse, wait until obozo gets more of his idiot Democrat buds elected to congress.
This is MUCH BIGGER than a Nevada rancher’s fight with fedzilla! This is how TOTALITARIAN STATES ULTIMATELY TREAT HUMAN BEINGS!
Velcome to ze new Amerika!!
YOU FOLKS HAD BETTER WAKE UP. Hitler convinced a Versailles Treaty abused and beaten down German people to “elect” over 100 of his supporters to the Reischstag in 1933. They then quickly voted Hitler Chancellor and within WEEKS moved to LEGALIZE every one of his formerly ILLEGAL actions. If you DO NOT think that can happen here, you just haven’t been paying attention to what’s been going on in Washington and our alleged “congress” — or, more accurately, what HAS NOT been going on there. Can you say “IMPEACHMENT”?
And for any seeing this who are not sensitive to the proper care and feeding of our animals who reply that all these critters were destined to wind up on a dinner plate, terrifying them with low flying helicopters to shoot and often wound them is NOT humane treatment.
Did he profile and stalk the elk? He might have gotten off easy.
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