Man gets 100 days for shooting doe antelope
CHEYENNE – A magistrate in Sweetwater County has sentenced a Tennessee man to serve 100 days in jail and pay $6,000 in fines and restitution for shooting a doe antelope several times with a semiautomatic rifle last weekend. Officials say the case is only the latest in a disturbing pattern of out-of-state energy workers wantonly killing Wyoming wildlife.
Tori Stephen Bowman, 23, of Cookeville, Tenn., pleaded guilty Monday to wanton destruction of a big-game animal.
In addition to imposing the jail time, fines and restitution, Magistrate Stephen K. Palmer forfeited Bowman’s rifle to the state and revoked his hunting and fishing privileges for five years. Palmer also fined Bowman $350 on his guilty plea to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge, court records show.
Forfeiture of a firearm and a $6,000 fine seems pretty steep, never mind the 100 days in jail. Then again, shooting a lactating antelope doe for the hell of it is ridiculous beyond reason, and it’s tough to really argue hard with any sentence.
The rifle was an AK.
Via GunPro.net.
I have to agree with you regarding the sentence. The shooter was an idiot, and has no place hunting or fighing in the state based upon his actions. Note also the marijuana charge. Nice. Dope and guns. FWIW, AW1 Tim believes that there should be NO gun laws at all. Citizens ought to be able to purchase and own any firearm of their choosing, including automatic weapons, tanks, rocket launchers, wjayever. However, AW1 Tim also believes in draconian punishments for those misusing their weapons and comitting crimes with them. In other words, own what you like, but if you use it to commit a crime, or act irresponsibly with it, you will pay a severe penalty.