by News Staff
MEDFORD, Ore. — An Oakridge man pleaded guilty to Unlawfully Taking an Endangered Species in connection with a wolf found dead in October 2016 on the Fremont-Winema National Forest near Summer Lake, Oregon.
Colton Tony Dick, 22, of Oakridge, Oregon, pleaded guilty Monday in an arrangement which could eventually lead to the charge being dismissed.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
“Under a deferred sentencing agreement with the government, Dick has agreed to submit to one-year of supervised release, pay restitution of $2,500 to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, not hunt any wildlife for a period of one year and perform 100 hours of community service,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Medford, Oregon, said. “If Dick complies with these conditions, he will be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea and the government will move to dismiss his charge.”
The case dates back nearly 3 years.
“According to court documents, on October 5, 2016, using a rifle and scope, Dick shot at an endangered gray wolf without legal justification as the animal was walking away from him in the Fremont-Winema National Forest,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Dick was unable to locate the wolf.”
Gray wolves located in Western Oregon are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Prosecutors noted that “Dick did not admit to killing a gray wolf.”
But an investigation started October 5, 2016, when an adult female wolf known as OR-28 was found dead.
A little over a month later, the US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensic Lab “determined OR-28 died as a result of injuries sustained from a single gunshot wound,” prosecutors said.