June 30, 2006
By Mark Freeman
Mail Tribune
An Eagle Point teenager will spend 18 months on probation and lose
his hunting privileges for two years for his role in a ring accused of
illegally shooting black-tailed deer around Eagle Point last fall and
videotaping some of their kills.
Under a plea agreement with Jackson County prosecutors, 18-year-old
Garrett Bradshaw will also pay more than $1,100 in fines and
restitution, forfeit a rifle and refrain from riding in vehicles in
which firearms are present.
Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Ray White sentenced Bradshaw in
absentia Thursday on misdemeanor charges of hunting with an artificial
light and illegal taking of wildlife after accepting the plea agreement.
Defense attorney Carl Caplan represented Bradshaw, who Caplan said
was working as a commercial fisherman in Alaska and could not be present
at the hearing.
In court, Caplan said Bradshaw "got caught up" in the group involved
in the poaching and that he "feels terrible" for what he's done.
Outside of court, Caplan declined to comment.
Assistant District Attorney John Norton argued for a three-year
suspension, but noted that Bradshaw cooperated with authorities in
recovering a set of
9-by-7 point black-tail antlers from one of the deer poached by the
ring.
Bradshaw and his 15-year-old brother were standing next to the dead
9-point buck in a photograph seized by police during one of several
searches of Eagle Point residences as part of the Oregon State Police
investigation.
The January search warrants yielded more than a dozen guns, at least
12 sets of deer antlers, countless pictures, videos, ammunition and a
bag containing the beards of 35 wild turkeys, court papers show.
Bradshaw's plea was the second by an adult and third overall among
the six accused in the poaching ring.
Seth Kirk, 20, of White City, earlier pleaded guilty to a
first-degree theft charge and was sentenced to 18 months probation, had
his hunting privileges suspended for two years and paid $900 in fines
and restitution.
The theft charge stemmed from the fact that Oregon's financial value
for a black-tailed deer is $800, just above the $750 loss required for a
felony theft charge.
If Kirk successfully completes his probation, the conviction will be
treated as a misdemeanor, Norton said.
Still awaiting trial or plea is the accused ringleader of the group,
21-year-old Stephen Price. Price is an Eagle Point man who formerly held
a permit to trap beavers, muskrats and other furbearers from the Denman
Wildlife Area in White City.
In all, five adults and two juveniles have been charged in connection
to the poaching. One juvenile already has had his case adjudicated, but
the results of that case were not available Thursday.
Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail
mfreeman@mailtribune.com.
