Iowa busts S. Carolina LEO's for poaching...

[Rembrandt]

http://www.iowadnr.gov/news/09nov/westunion.html


Two South Carolina Law Officers Plead Guilty to Iowa Charges
Posted: November 3, 2009

WEST UNION, Iowa - Two South Carolina law enforcement officers pleaded guilty to falsely claiming Iowa residency to obtain in-state hunting licenses. Charges were filed against Kester "Kess" Holmes, 33, and Phillip Lee Morris, 34, both of Saluda, S.C., last fall.

Holmes pleaded guilty to four counts of making false claims to obtain resident Iowa deer licenses, and one count of making false claims to obtain an Iowa resident turkey license. Holmes was sentenced to pay maximum fines and court costs, as well as liquidated damages for illegally taken game, and make restitution to the Iowa DNR for the difference between resident and non-resident license fees.

In addition, Holmes was ordered by the court to return two sets of buck deer antlers to the Iowa DNR, and lost his hunting and fishing privileges in Iowa for five years. His fines, costs and restitution will exceed $9,000. Holmes is a deputy sheriff in Saluda County, S.C.

Morris pleaded guilty to four counts of hunting and possessing game without valid resident Iowa DNR licenses and was ordered to pay the maximum fines, court costs, as well as $4,000 in liquidated damages for illegally taken wild game, and $1,400 restitution to the Iowa DNR for the difference between resident and non-resident license fees. The court further ordered Morris to return two sets of buck deer antlers to the Iowa DNR, and suspended his hunting and fishing privileges in Iowa for five years.

Morris was also charged with falsifying information to obtain an Iowa driver's license, to which he also pleaded guilty and received a suspended jail sentence, and was ordered to pay court costs and fees. Morris, a state trooper, was dismissed from the South Carolina State Patrol.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Dave Elledge received information on Morris and Holmes a few years ago, which began the investigation. The two stayed in an old rural farm house they used as camp, on the Fayette-Clayton County line.

"Any time an investigation involves law enforcement personnel, extra care and caution must be taken, in all aspects of the case," Elledge said "Confidentiality is of utmost importance, due to the fact one is dealing with individuals who are savvy to investigative techniques.

Several officers from northeast Iowa, as well as other DNR personnel assisted in the cases. Iowa DNR officers also received cooperation in the cases from the Special Investigations Unit of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Bureau.

The cases were prosecuted by Nathan Lein, assistant county attorney for Fayette County, Iowa and Susan Krisko, of the Iowa Attorney General's Office.

 

[janobles14]

man....phillip morris just cant catch a break....

 

[Arkel23]

Nothing surprising......

 

[Tim the student]

I'm disappointed with the punishment.

In addition to the punishment from the court, I sincerely hope the deputy sheriff loses his job. If he will break laws to hunt, what will they do for a good amount of money? I think they are a disgrace to the rest of LEO's around the country. At least the trooper already lost his.

What a couple of bums.

 

[Kernel]

What a bunch of weasels. Throw the book at them.

That said, Iowa has some of the unfriendliest non-resident deer hunting laws of any state I’m aware of. Bordering states Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri do everything they can to make it easy on out of state deer hunters.

Neighboring Wisconsin courts over 100,000 out of state deer hunters every year. They come, shoot a deer, and inject hundreds of millions dollars into the local economy. There are no limits on the number of out of state licenses that can be sold.

Iowa, which is sparsely populated and brimming with a huge deer population, limits it’s out of state hunters to under 10,000 and puts up every obstacle it can to deter their satisfaction. If you’re an out of state deer hunter keep out, stay out, and take your money with you!

The farmers take it in the pocket book and only the car repair industry gets rich. IMO the IDNR is mismanaging a potentially lucrative and sustainable resource, to the detriment of all Iowa citizens and taxpayers.

 

[Sav .250]

Those guys will carry the mark of a "bandit" for a long time.

 

[Tim the student]

That said, Iowa has some of the unfriendliest non-resident deer hunting laws of any state I’m aware of.

Yep.

IMO the IDNR is mismanaging a potentially lucrative and sustainable resource, to the detriment of all Iowa citizens and taxpayers.

Lots of people feel that way. I don't understand why we don't take more advantage of our wildlife.

 

[d2wing]

Iowa does has pretty strict rules, especially trespassing and pretty good enforcement. My lic. was checked twice in one day. This year it cost $125 for an out of state license. I think I am done hunting in Iowa. In Iowa's defense, they are overun by trespassers from the twin cities area. That gives
all out of state hunters a bad name.

 

[highorder]

This thread brings up a good point.

Law enforcement requires much more than willingness to do a hard, thankless job.

It required character. These two don't have it, and they should be changing employment industries.

If not, we haven't addressed the problem.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

The punishment from Iowa sounds about right (fits the crime), provided they also BOTH lose their jobs back home.

 

[Arkel23]

The punishment from Iowa sounds about right (fits the crime), provided they also BOTH lose their jobs back home.

They won't, so don't worry yourself about if they did. It's ridiculous.

 

[444]

I love to see people get what's coming to them.

In order to avoid paying $125 for an out of state license, he got fined $9000 and one lost his job.
Cheap hurts.

 

[qajaq59]

Good grief, $9,000? That has to be a record for stupidity.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

I dont know......

Seems we all screw up sometime. 9,000 is excessive IMO. Losing their job.....not sure either. Being Police does hold them to a higher standard but I'm sure these guys have mouths to feed also. Plus if they are fired you lose the learning lesson........

I guess I would need to know all the circumstances.

 

[Art Eatman]

On our deer lease, years ago, the rancher caught two trespassing hunters. They"d gotten into a deal with the North America Hunt Club, which had a neighboring ranch with no deer. So, over our fence. It turned out tha tthey were cops from Louisiana.

The sheriff mailed their driver's licenses back to their boss. And the JP was not kind to their billfolds.

 

[Tim the student]

Seems we all screw up sometime.

True enough.

9,000 is excessive IMO.

Why do you think that? I'm all for fining the hell out of poachers like this. It's not like they shot a deer out of season to bring home and feed to their family.

Losing their job.....not sure either. Being Police does hold them to a higher standard

Indeed it does, in my book at least. This incident speaks volumes about their character. These are not the type of people I want as LEO's, anymore than I want a LEO who is willing to take bribes, look the other way for their buddies, or think they can commit crimes without any repercussions.

I'm sure these guys have mouths to feed also.

So do lots of other law breakers. So? Guess they better go flip some burgers. Having a family should make you more responsible, not give you a free pass when you foul up.

Plus if they are fired you lose the learning lesson........

A) I disagree. They knew it was wrong before they did it. Getting caught isn't going to make they say "Man, after I got caught, I realize that was the wrong thing to do...." The lesson to not commit crimes was taught long ago, and apparently missed by these two.

B) If that is the case, then conversely you could argue that the lesson learned is that they (and everyone else in their department) can go poach all they want, get caught, and still come home to a job. Not a lesson I want them to learn.

 

[444]

These guys are paid and trusted to ENFORCE the law. They violated our trust and they violated the law.

I am not a cop hater but it really Ps me O when someone who would gladly take me to the mat if I broke the law, gets the same treatment when he breaks the law.

On top of it, this isn't just an honest mistake. They knew exactly what they were doing. They falsified legal documents to do it (phony drivers licenses). I could see feeling sorry for them if they shot a deer before or after legal light or something like that but to go out of state, get drivers licenses with phony addresses, get hunting licenses through the use of these phony drivers licenses and then take game animals is another story. You think that Highway Patrolman would let you go if he knew you falsified your drivers license application ?

 

[Rembrandt]

.....Iowa has some of the unfriendliest non-resident deer hunting laws of any state I’m aware of. Bordering states Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri do everything they can to make it easy on out of state deer hunters.

Iowa, which is sparsely populated and brimming with a huge deer population, limits it’s out of state hunters to under 10,000 and puts up every obstacle it can to deter their satisfaction. If you’re an out of state deer hunter keep out, stay out, and take your money with you!

I'm glad Iowa is restrictive with non-resident licensing.....and here's why: At one time Iowa had one conservation officer for each of the 99 counties. The DNR cut that back to about half the personnel. DNR wants the money licensing brings in but is not willing to proportionately spend it on enforcement. Adding more non-residents simply adds more unsupervised hunters that law enforcement can't handle. Until they can provide LEO's to enforce the laws, we don't want anymore people and the problems they bring. Further more, when you check the DNR's reports of violations each year, the overwhelming majority comes from non-residents. It's enough trouble keeping our own slob hunters supervised without importing more.