Poor decisions could result in a Colorado man losing his hunting privileges for life.
On Nov. 8, 2018, Andrew Pashley pleaded guilty to the illegal sale of big-game wildlife and illegal possession of a mountain lion in Jefferson County District Court, in Jefferson County, Colorado.
For years, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers had been looking into various reports of Pashley’s illegal hunting activities. A case finally came to fruition in January 2017 when a hunter presented a mountain lion to CPW officials during a harvest inspection.
The mountain lion was one he’d harvested using Pashley’s illegal outfitting business, which wasn’t legal, as Colorado never registered him as an outfitter.
Subsequently, CPW wildlife officers obtained a search warrant for Pashley’s home in the Evergreen district, where they seized illegally possessed wildlife, cash he received for his illegal outfitting services and other evidence, including his truck and other hunting equipment.
Eventually, the investigation confirmed Pashley in fact received $3,000 cash for his services.
Almost two years later, Pashley has been sentenced to two years of supervised probation. He’s indefinitely suspended from all hunting, fishing and trapping activities in Colorado, and he can’t own a firearm.
“We investigate crimes like this both to protect the wildlife of the state, but also to protect the interests of legal and ethical hunters and outfitters in the state,” CPW Wildlife Officer Joe Nicholson, who worked the case, told KKTV. “That is really important. We have a strong heritage in Colorado of hunting, fishing and trapping, that is what pays for wildlife conservation, but only when it is done right. Illegal and unethical actions like what Mr. Pashley participated in put a black eye on hunters, outfitters and houndsmen. Pashley’s actions are those of a poacher, not a hunter, and it is good to bring somebody like Pashley to justice.”
Pashley’s suspension could become a lifetime sentence, pending a future hearing.
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