What was already believed to be one of the biggest poaching ring busts in state history continues to expand in scope. As the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reviews what investigators say is an unprecedented heap of evidence, old suspects are collecting new charges and new suspects are still being considered for referral to prosecutor’s offices around the region.
Three suspects from Cowlitz County who were already facing charges in Lewis County related to alleged poaching activities in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest were hit with new charges out of Pacific and Jefferson counties earlier this year.
Those charges state that David McLeskey, 59, of Woodland, his son-in-law Aaron Hendricks, 35, of Woodland, and co-defendant Aaron Colby Hanson, 38, of Kelso, engaged in the pursuit and killing of bobcats with the aid of dogs in one, or both, of those counties in the months following their previously charged illegal activities.
Sargent Brad Rhoden with the WDFW Police acknowledged that while
charges have been brought against more than ten suspected poachers so far, some cases have taken longer to develop than the department would have preferred.
“I can say that it’s, uh, the case isn’t over yet by any means. There’s still the court process and we’re still learning of new allegations so we are examining them,” said Rhoden, who was cautious with his words while things are still in flux. “We’re still examining materials to see if additional charges will be filed around the state. It could be additional suspects, and, or additional charges on some of the individuals.”
Rhoden added that the staggering amount of evidence and alleged crimes discovered during an investigation that spanned Western Washington and northern Oregon has made the exact extent of the poaching ring difficult to parse.
“It’s a lot of material for us to go through and then we’re still trying to work our normal field work too, because poaching didn’t stop just because we have this case,” said Rhoden. “It’s tough for us to cover everything that’s going on. There’s no down time.”
That poaching ring, which began to unravel after a traffic stop conducted by the Oregon State Patrol in The Dalles revealed that numerous
Washingtonians acted in concert in the alleged illegal take of more than 100 big game animals, including bears, bobcats, deer and elk. Hound dogs are said to have been illegally deployed in many of those hunts and a staggering percentage of the poached animals are alleged to have been left behind to rot. One suspect told investigators that a bear carcass was even stuffed in a drainage culvert in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in order to hide evidence and expedite more poaching.
“Oregon is also, I believe, going through with their filing process as well,” said Rhoden, who expects that some suspects will wind up being charged in both states. “I think they had a few more individuals down there than we did up here.”
As for McLeskey, Hendricks and Hanson, evidence of their wildlife crimes has so far been confined to Washington. In December they were charged in Lewis County Superior Court with first-degree animal cruelty, unlawful hunting of black bear, cougar, bobcat or lynx with dogs, and second-degree unlawful hunting of wild animals. All three defendants pleaded not guilty to those crimes, which are alleged to have occurred in the fall of 2015.
The new charges against the trio of suspected poachers date to January of 2016. Those activities are alleged to have begun on Jan. 30 in West Jefferson County near the Grays Harbor County line on the Olympic Peninsula. Court records state that a GPS unit recovered from Hendricks showed an active track line in that area on that date and corresponding videos appear to show several dogs that belonged to McLeseksy baying at a treed bobcat on that day.
Investigators stated that they were able to identify Aaron Hanson, who was carrying a rifle with a chrome barrel and scope, in the video and noted that at one point three shots could be heard emanating from offscreen while multiple voices described where the bobcat was hiding in the tree. According to court records, Hendricks could be heard saying, “Aaron (Hanson) is having trigger problems,” in an apparent reference to the fact that Hanson shot at, and missed, the bobcat several times. A total of nine shots were reported during a short series of videos from the same event, along with footage that shows dogs “aggressively chewing” on a downed bobcat.
“A video is taken of an individual placing a now dead bobcat in a small tree to get the dogs excited,” the police report reads. “Then this same individual drops the bobcat back on the ground to let the dogs once again chew on the dead bobcat.”
Another video allegedly shows McLeskey releasing his dogs from his truck in the area and on Dec. 10, 2017 WDFW officers were able to travel to the location in the video and then match specific scenery to those images. Hanson, Hendricks and McLeskey are all alleged to have been present for that illegal bobcat hunt and all three are subsequently facing charges of illegal hunting with the dogs, which could net up to 364 days in jail or a $5,000 fine. If found guilty the the accused could also be forced to forfeit their hunting licenses for at least five years. All three defendants are currently scheduled for readiness hearings in Jefferson County on Aug. 31, with their trials set to begin on Sep. 27.
The day after those three accused poachers are alleged to have illegally killed a bobcat in Jefferson County, Hendricks and McLeskey are said to have taken their illegal hunting activities on the road to Pacific County. One video mentioned in probable cause documents is said to show McLeskey shooting up into a tree numerous times until a bobcat falls out. McLeskey’s hunting dogs then reportedly swarmed the downed bobcat.
According to Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Detective Cory Robinson, who reviewed all of the GPS and video evidence, “During the next 6-7 seconds I observed the bobcat swing its paw three times at the dog’s head which is attacking it. The claws are out indicating the animal is alive and attempting to defend itself. The bobcat then clutches the dogs (sic) head with the claws out for the remaining seconds before succumbing to its injuries and the dogs’ attack. It is at this point the claws retract and are no long deployed indicating the bobcat has died.”
For those alleged crimes in Pacific County, McLeskey and Hendricks were each recommended by the WDFW for charges of first degree animal cruelty, unlawful practices including black bear baiting, illegal hunting or use of dogs, and second degree unlawful hunting of wild animals. Pacific County Prosecutor Mark McClain is pursuing one count of First Degree Animal Cruelty for each defendant, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The poaching case came to a head on Dec. 3, 2016 when Oregon State Police in The Dalles contacted Erik Martin and Billy Haynes, both of Longview, in connection with string of trophy buck poaching incidents in the area. Martin and Haynes admitted to poaching several deer and Oregon State Police wound up uncovering of trove of cellphone evidence before following up with investigations at the suspected poachers’ homes. That night a total of 26 deer heads unlawfully possessed by Martin and Haynes were recovered at their homes, and the investigation has uncovered dozens of other racks, hides, and packages of meat associated with various poaching activities.
On March 12, 2017 a search warrant was executed on Hendrick’s residence in Woodland during which a JVC camcorder was recovered that contained 54 hunting-related videos. A second search warrant was then executed on April 24, 2017 at Hendricks’ home in effort to obtain more evidence. During that search, law enforcement located a GPS unit seen in video evidence that is known to be a popular model with hunters who employ dogs since individual trackers can be linked.
Court records added that multiple youths related to the McLeskey and Hanson were also observed in videos of the illegal hunts.
Rhoden said that his department has received plenty of public feedback since the prolific poaching investigation was first announced more than a year ago.
“Overall it’s been really positive. Obviously, when we interact with individuals, this is a big topic because they have an interest in that resource as well. Not only for the potential harvest of an animal but also for the protection of it, and they don’t like people abusing it,” said Rhoden.
Still, he acknowledged that it will likely prove impossible to please everyone through the processes of the law and justice system alone.
“I know there’s been some people may not agree with what (penalties) somebody got,” said Rhoden.
He noted that several accused poachers have already settled their cases, including Bryan Tretiak of Morton who was sentenced to 14 days community service and a $500 fine for his involvement in the illegal take of a black bear outside of Randle with the use of hounds. That judgment out of Skamania County Supreme Court also stipulated that Tretiak is not permitted to hunt or possess hunting dogs for the next two years.
Rhoden noted that those court issued penalties do not include the criminal assessment fines tacked onto wildlife violations that involve big game and endangered species. Those criminal assessments include $2,000 for the illegal take or possession of deer, elk, bear, or cougar. $4,000 fines for the illegal take or possession of moose, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, or mountain goats. A $6,000 fine for the illegal take or possession of trophy deer with for or more antler points on each side, or trophy elk with five or more points on each side. And a $12,000 fine for the illegal take or possession of woodland caribou, grizzly bear, or trophy mountain sheep with a three-quarter curl or better
“It has been my experience that people want really serious fines and penalties for poaching,” said Rhoden.
Rhoden added that he anticipates several developments in the case soon and hinted that additional charges could be coming to Skamania County courts. However, he declined to provide even an estimated date due to the complex and ongoing nature of the investigation.
