Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis announced today that two men from Livingston, Montana, were charged by criminal complaint in United States Magistrate Court in Mammoth, Wyoming, on January 20, 2004, on charges of violating the Lacey Act (the federal anti-poaching statute) and possession of weapons inside of a national park.

The investigation began on November 6, 2003, when a law enforcement ranger discovered that a bull elk had been killed and removed from inside the north boundary of Yellowstone near Beattie Gulch. The ranger initiated a lengthy investigation with the assistance of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and received extensive cooperation from several legal sportsmen who hunt in the area.

Mark Edward Campbell, age 38, and Steven W. Campbell, age 39, both of Livingston, Montana, were identified as suspects in the case. The criminal complaint filed in the case alleges that when interviewed by a ranger and a National Park Service Special Agent, Mark Campbell admitted to shooting the elk and said that he and his brother Steven removed it from the park. The rifle used to shoot the elk, along with 174 pounds of processed meat from the poached elk, were seized from Campbell as evidence.

United States Magistrate Judge Stephen E. Cole released both men pending trial. A person convicted of a misdemeanor violation of the Lacey Act can be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced up to one year in jail. Carrying a weapon in a national park can result in a $ 5,000 fine and 6 months in jail.

Superintendent Lewis reminds all Yellowstone-area hunters that hunting is not permitted within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, and that shooting and taking of wildlife inside any park area is a criminal offense. Those who poach wildlife inside Yellowstone National Park will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and potentially face heavy fines, restitution costs, jail time and loss of hunting privileges throughout most Western States.

Information provided by the NPS

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