"One tough case" - Sent to me in email
"One tough case" - Sent to me in email
My Stepmother got this story in an email - Interesting read, kinda messed up situation though.
"One tough case"
Killing of trophy ram by undercover warden erupts in firestorm
By Nick Gevock - 09/05/2009
This was not how Montana's record bighorn sheep ram was supposed to be taken. Instead of stories about a remarkable hunt and photos of a hunter smiling over an incredible animal, the new Boone and Crockett state record bighorn is sitting in an evidence room. And it's at the center of a firestorm of criticism against state wildlife officials.
That's because in the end, it was a Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks undercover game warden who pulled the trigger on a ram in the Missouri Breaks last fall that reportedly scored more than 204 B&C points.
The ram's shooting occurred during a 2008 undercover operation in which FWP investigated John Lewton, a Whitehall taxidermist and filmmaker, after receiving complaints that he was illegally guiding sheep hunters, according to court records. Lewton is not a registered outfitter in Montana, but has accompanied numerous hunters while pursuing bighorns for over a decade. He bills himself as a filmmaker who enjoys sheep hunting and goes along on bighorn hunts for free to capture footage of the hunt.
But the fact that it was the undercover warden and not Lewton who killed the ram has some people saying the state went too far.
"Does law enforcement have the right to burn down my home to prove that you're an arsonist?" said Gray Thornton, president of the Wild Sheep Foundation, the leading organization for sheep conservation. "That's a Montana resource and a representative of the people of Montana killed that resource to up the ante on the prosecution." Thornton said he's not defending Lewton. He said if Lewton is found guilty of the crimes he's accused he should be punished.
But he questions whether the warden had to shoot the animal to prove the crime for which Lewton was initially being investigated.
Jim Kropp, FWP enforcement chief, has said the agency will not comment further until the case is resolved. Barbara Harris, assistant attorney general prosecuting the case, refused to comment as well.
But FWP has taken a beating for how the case went down.
To some, it was a botched wildlife sting that robbed Montana sportsmen of the chance at the ram and illustrated an out-of-control investigation. Columnist Allen Jones, with NewWest.com, called the state's actions a "betrayal of trust" and said the state should have to account for killing the ram.
But to others, it was a long overdue cracking down of a hunting scofflaw who under the guise of filmmaking was really guiding people to trophy bighorns and profiting off the venture.
"There's been substantial illegal outfitting out here going on for these sheep for years," said Matt Wickens, a rancher and owner of Dog Creek Outfitters near Winifred. "Every outfitter in this area is probably relieved that these guys doing it illegally are finally going to be punished." Lineup of charges Lewton, who owns Cape Horn Taxidermy in Whitehall, was charged in Chouteau County District Court in Fort Benton last month with felony possession of a game animal. He was also charged with misdemeanor trespassing and hunting without landowner permission and outfitting without a license in Chouteau County. In Jefferson County, Lewton was charged with felony unlawful sale of a game animal for allegedly trying to buy the ram several days after the hunt.
In addition, Blake Trangmoe of Glendive and James Reed of Rexburg, Idaho, were charged in Chouteau County District Court with two misdemeanor counts of hunting without landowner permission, one count of outfitting without a license and one felony count of unlawful possession of a game animal for taking part in the hunt.
Jack Morris, a Whitehall attorney defending Lewton, said the state's case is full of holes. For starters, his client's long history of making quality films shows his intentions during the hunt.
"He takes video of people hunting trophy animals, that's how he makes a living," Morris said. "People pay him to videograph their hunts." But Harris, the lead prosecutor in the case, paints a far different picture in court records. She alleges Lewton located by airplane and then led the warden to the ram for $1,000.
The records show Court records indicate a hunter who had drawn a bighorn ram tag in the Missouri River Breaks in 2008 reported to an FWP warden that Lewton had offered to guide him for $11,500, with about half going to Keith Atcheson, of Butte, a licensed outfitter. Lewton allegedly approached Atcheson and asked if he could guide for him, which Atcheson declined.
That summer the undercover warden, identified as "J.G." in court records, went into Lewton's shop and said he had a bighorn tag for hunting district 680, on the north side of the Missouri River south of Big Sandy. Lewton allegedly told J.G. he'd "taken" the last nine holders of the statewide governor's sheep tag, which is auctioned off every year and often goes for more than $200,000. But Lewton also told J.G. he was not an outfitter and could not charge for service.
Lewton allegedly said he would be flying the area to scout for another hunter and could do so for J.G. for $1,000, which they agreed to, court records said. In September, Lewton called J.G. and said he'd found a big ram, urging him to get to the area immediately.
J.G. and another undercover agent, C.R., met up with Lewton and Trangmoe and pursued the ram under Lewton's guidance, court records said. Lewton showed a picture of the ram and stated that was the one they were after. They had to cross private property to get to the hunting area that was posted no trespassing, to which J.G. agreed.
Later they met up with Reed, who said he had watched the ram for three days, according to court records. After getting to the coulee where the ram was, Reed allegedly stayed on a vantage point and directed Lewton via radio to the ram.
Lewton allegedly told J.G. not to shoot until the camera was ready and Lewton had picked the proper ram. The warden shot and purposely missed.
The next day Lewton, Reed and Trangmoe allegedly again led the two undercover agents to the ram using radios. J.G. shot twice, again purposely missing, before the ram was chased into a steep sided coulee.
"It was clear that J.G. must shoot the ram, which was now in close proximity to the hunters, or reveal his true identity," court records said.
J.G. squeezed off a shot and the ram was dead.
That moment is when the state overstepped its bounds, Morris said. He blasted the agency for having its agent kill the animal to bolster its case against Lewton.
"The state of Montana and its undercover agent by shooting that ram made it a felony," he said. "He chose to shoot that animal, which deprived every other hunter that drew the tag of the opportunity to hunt that animal." And that throws into question whether the ram was illegally killed, Morris added. It's unclear whether FWP officially issued the officer a tag, but if it did the ram would not have been illegally killed.
He said Lewton is well known and regarded in hunting circles for his films. And Morris noted that Lewton had the required permit in hand to film on public land.
Morris added there was no threat for the officers in this case.
"He's the only one who has a firearm and he was with another agent," Morris said. "John Lewton doesn't have any criminal history; he's a business man." Furthermore, he threw into question the state's claims that the ram was killed illegally because they used radios to locate and pursue the ram, which is against state law. Morris said it was the warden who was hunting, not Lewton.
"John Lewton never forced this guy to go chase this ram," he said. "I don't know how a jury's going to convict my client of illegally possessing a game animal when an undercover agent shot the ram.
"It's pretty problematic for the state's case." Carcass for conviction?
But Marc Glines, a retired FWP game warden who worked undercover for two years, said the case illustrates some harsh realities about prosecuting persistent game violators. A carcass is often needed to get a conviction.
He worked in the early years of Montana's undercover warden program and once had to watch a poacher shot a cow moose.
"I don't envy the warden a bit, because he's going to be scrutinized and chastised, but nobody wants to see a critter get killed illegally; it goes against an officer's grain," he said. "Unfortunately you have to have a critter fall before you can file charges." Glines defended the warden in question and said those situations are incredibly tense for officers. There's a lot of anxiety posing as a hunter that your cover will be blown.
And as difficult as it is for an officer to shoot an animal, he said the ram did not die in vain.
"He was going to guide someone illegally to take a sheep and by doing it with an undercover agent, that guy is out of business," Glines said. "It would have continued on for the next big sheep and the next big sheep." Outfitters relieved While there are numerous critics, other people are supporting FWP's actions in the case. Among them are outfitters who work the Missouri River Breaks.
Bill Brown, a rancher and owner of Chase Hill Outfitters whose land was allegedly crossed by Lewton and the hunting party to get to the ram, said he has mixed feelings about the operation. He knew the particular ram killed and said it spent a lot of time on his property. It pains him to see an animal he "was darn proud of" killed in the manner it was, but in the end, he said it was necessary.
"It is very unfortunate that such a large sheep was taken, but I believe that these types of individuals need to be caught and prosecuted at almost any cost," he said.
And he scoffed at the notion that Lewton was not guiding, but rather just along to film a hunt. He said when a person spots and leads a hunter to a particular animal, that's not just coming along.
"You are posing as a guide," he said.
Wickens agreed. He said while he's aware of the sharp criticism of FWP, it's not coming from his area. He's heard nothing among the outfitting community but praise for FWP in the matter.
"If we sacrifice one 200-inch ram to bring some integrity back to the outfitting industry, to me it's worth it," he said.
Photo courtesy of the Billings Gazette From left, James Reed, Blake Trangmoe and John Lewton show off the state record bighorn sheep ram killed last fall in the Missouri River Breaks. The ram was shot by an undercover state game warden investigating Lewton for illegally outfitting. The case has erupted a plethora of criticism for the state's killing of the ram.
"One tough case"
Killing of trophy ram by undercover warden erupts in firestorm
By Nick Gevock - 09/05/2009
This was not how Montana's record bighorn sheep ram was supposed to be taken. Instead of stories about a remarkable hunt and photos of a hunter smiling over an incredible animal, the new Boone and Crockett state record bighorn is sitting in an evidence room. And it's at the center of a firestorm of criticism against state wildlife officials.
That's because in the end, it was a Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks undercover game warden who pulled the trigger on a ram in the Missouri Breaks last fall that reportedly scored more than 204 B&C points.
The ram's shooting occurred during a 2008 undercover operation in which FWP investigated John Lewton, a Whitehall taxidermist and filmmaker, after receiving complaints that he was illegally guiding sheep hunters, according to court records. Lewton is not a registered outfitter in Montana, but has accompanied numerous hunters while pursuing bighorns for over a decade. He bills himself as a filmmaker who enjoys sheep hunting and goes along on bighorn hunts for free to capture footage of the hunt.
But the fact that it was the undercover warden and not Lewton who killed the ram has some people saying the state went too far.
"Does law enforcement have the right to burn down my home to prove that you're an arsonist?" said Gray Thornton, president of the Wild Sheep Foundation, the leading organization for sheep conservation. "That's a Montana resource and a representative of the people of Montana killed that resource to up the ante on the prosecution." Thornton said he's not defending Lewton. He said if Lewton is found guilty of the crimes he's accused he should be punished.
But he questions whether the warden had to shoot the animal to prove the crime for which Lewton was initially being investigated.
Jim Kropp, FWP enforcement chief, has said the agency will not comment further until the case is resolved. Barbara Harris, assistant attorney general prosecuting the case, refused to comment as well.
But FWP has taken a beating for how the case went down.
To some, it was a botched wildlife sting that robbed Montana sportsmen of the chance at the ram and illustrated an out-of-control investigation. Columnist Allen Jones, with NewWest.com, called the state's actions a "betrayal of trust" and said the state should have to account for killing the ram.
But to others, it was a long overdue cracking down of a hunting scofflaw who under the guise of filmmaking was really guiding people to trophy bighorns and profiting off the venture.
"There's been substantial illegal outfitting out here going on for these sheep for years," said Matt Wickens, a rancher and owner of Dog Creek Outfitters near Winifred. "Every outfitter in this area is probably relieved that these guys doing it illegally are finally going to be punished." Lineup of charges Lewton, who owns Cape Horn Taxidermy in Whitehall, was charged in Chouteau County District Court in Fort Benton last month with felony possession of a game animal. He was also charged with misdemeanor trespassing and hunting without landowner permission and outfitting without a license in Chouteau County. In Jefferson County, Lewton was charged with felony unlawful sale of a game animal for allegedly trying to buy the ram several days after the hunt.
In addition, Blake Trangmoe of Glendive and James Reed of Rexburg, Idaho, were charged in Chouteau County District Court with two misdemeanor counts of hunting without landowner permission, one count of outfitting without a license and one felony count of unlawful possession of a game animal for taking part in the hunt.
Jack Morris, a Whitehall attorney defending Lewton, said the state's case is full of holes. For starters, his client's long history of making quality films shows his intentions during the hunt.
"He takes video of people hunting trophy animals, that's how he makes a living," Morris said. "People pay him to videograph their hunts." But Harris, the lead prosecutor in the case, paints a far different picture in court records. She alleges Lewton located by airplane and then led the warden to the ram for $1,000.
The records show Court records indicate a hunter who had drawn a bighorn ram tag in the Missouri River Breaks in 2008 reported to an FWP warden that Lewton had offered to guide him for $11,500, with about half going to Keith Atcheson, of Butte, a licensed outfitter. Lewton allegedly approached Atcheson and asked if he could guide for him, which Atcheson declined.
That summer the undercover warden, identified as "J.G." in court records, went into Lewton's shop and said he had a bighorn tag for hunting district 680, on the north side of the Missouri River south of Big Sandy. Lewton allegedly told J.G. he'd "taken" the last nine holders of the statewide governor's sheep tag, which is auctioned off every year and often goes for more than $200,000. But Lewton also told J.G. he was not an outfitter and could not charge for service.
Lewton allegedly said he would be flying the area to scout for another hunter and could do so for J.G. for $1,000, which they agreed to, court records said. In September, Lewton called J.G. and said he'd found a big ram, urging him to get to the area immediately.
J.G. and another undercover agent, C.R., met up with Lewton and Trangmoe and pursued the ram under Lewton's guidance, court records said. Lewton showed a picture of the ram and stated that was the one they were after. They had to cross private property to get to the hunting area that was posted no trespassing, to which J.G. agreed.
Later they met up with Reed, who said he had watched the ram for three days, according to court records. After getting to the coulee where the ram was, Reed allegedly stayed on a vantage point and directed Lewton via radio to the ram.
Lewton allegedly told J.G. not to shoot until the camera was ready and Lewton had picked the proper ram. The warden shot and purposely missed.
The next day Lewton, Reed and Trangmoe allegedly again led the two undercover agents to the ram using radios. J.G. shot twice, again purposely missing, before the ram was chased into a steep sided coulee.
"It was clear that J.G. must shoot the ram, which was now in close proximity to the hunters, or reveal his true identity," court records said.
J.G. squeezed off a shot and the ram was dead.
That moment is when the state overstepped its bounds, Morris said. He blasted the agency for having its agent kill the animal to bolster its case against Lewton.
"The state of Montana and its undercover agent by shooting that ram made it a felony," he said. "He chose to shoot that animal, which deprived every other hunter that drew the tag of the opportunity to hunt that animal." And that throws into question whether the ram was illegally killed, Morris added. It's unclear whether FWP officially issued the officer a tag, but if it did the ram would not have been illegally killed.
He said Lewton is well known and regarded in hunting circles for his films. And Morris noted that Lewton had the required permit in hand to film on public land.
Morris added there was no threat for the officers in this case.
"He's the only one who has a firearm and he was with another agent," Morris said. "John Lewton doesn't have any criminal history; he's a business man." Furthermore, he threw into question the state's claims that the ram was killed illegally because they used radios to locate and pursue the ram, which is against state law. Morris said it was the warden who was hunting, not Lewton.
"John Lewton never forced this guy to go chase this ram," he said. "I don't know how a jury's going to convict my client of illegally possessing a game animal when an undercover agent shot the ram.
"It's pretty problematic for the state's case." Carcass for conviction?
But Marc Glines, a retired FWP game warden who worked undercover for two years, said the case illustrates some harsh realities about prosecuting persistent game violators. A carcass is often needed to get a conviction.
He worked in the early years of Montana's undercover warden program and once had to watch a poacher shot a cow moose.
"I don't envy the warden a bit, because he's going to be scrutinized and chastised, but nobody wants to see a critter get killed illegally; it goes against an officer's grain," he said. "Unfortunately you have to have a critter fall before you can file charges." Glines defended the warden in question and said those situations are incredibly tense for officers. There's a lot of anxiety posing as a hunter that your cover will be blown.
And as difficult as it is for an officer to shoot an animal, he said the ram did not die in vain.
"He was going to guide someone illegally to take a sheep and by doing it with an undercover agent, that guy is out of business," Glines said. "It would have continued on for the next big sheep and the next big sheep." Outfitters relieved While there are numerous critics, other people are supporting FWP's actions in the case. Among them are outfitters who work the Missouri River Breaks.
Bill Brown, a rancher and owner of Chase Hill Outfitters whose land was allegedly crossed by Lewton and the hunting party to get to the ram, said he has mixed feelings about the operation. He knew the particular ram killed and said it spent a lot of time on his property. It pains him to see an animal he "was darn proud of" killed in the manner it was, but in the end, he said it was necessary.
"It is very unfortunate that such a large sheep was taken, but I believe that these types of individuals need to be caught and prosecuted at almost any cost," he said.
And he scoffed at the notion that Lewton was not guiding, but rather just along to film a hunt. He said when a person spots and leads a hunter to a particular animal, that's not just coming along.
"You are posing as a guide," he said.
Wickens agreed. He said while he's aware of the sharp criticism of FWP, it's not coming from his area. He's heard nothing among the outfitting community but praise for FWP in the matter.
"If we sacrifice one 200-inch ram to bring some integrity back to the outfitting industry, to me it's worth it," he said.
Photo courtesy of the Billings Gazette From left, James Reed, Blake Trangmoe and John Lewton show off the state record bighorn sheep ram killed last fall in the Missouri River Breaks. The ram was shot by an undercover state game warden investigating Lewton for illegally outfitting. The case has erupted a plethora of criticism for the state's killing of the ram."Mathews DXT @ 62lbs, G5 Optix XR, Shaffer rest, Fuse Carbon Connexion stabilizer and G5 Montec CS's in front of GoldTip Prohunter 5575's = More meat in my Freezer"
-Cody-
-Cody-
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
That is a MONSTER ram!!!
As for the whole story behind it, I'll reserve my opinion until the case is resolved. I will say that I do agree that law enforcement sometimes needs to do tactics outside the lines in order to enforce the law.
As for the whole story behind it, I'll reserve my opinion until the case is resolved. I will say that I do agree that law enforcement sometimes needs to do tactics outside the lines in order to enforce the law.
It ain't the size of the gun but the placement of the bullet.
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
With all the press this is getting hopefully the poacher/illegal outfitters know they are being hunted. As for this case I will also wait for the court decision and for all the details to come out.
Uva uvam vivendo varia fit - Augustus McCrae
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
From what I've read here I think the officer did what was needed. It would have been nice if it was a smaller ram that he shot, but by taking one now, it will have saved how many down the road. I too agree that sometimes the law has to work outside the lines once in a while to get crud done.
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
Yea, this is a tough one but I agree with ABert and the others. If the undercover officer had to do it in order to bring in the crooks then I'll give him that. After all, he may have taken one great lookin' ram...but how many others may he have saved by following through on this investigation and therefore getting some of the crooked outfitters out of the hills?
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
Big Horn Sheep Killing: A Betrayal of Trust
The story of a 204-point ram, an undercover agent and what it all says about Montana's Fish Wildlife and Parks department.
By Allen M. Jones, 8-31-09
I like to hunt, and I like to fish, and I like to do them in good conscience. This means, first and foremost, that I do my best to obey the rule of law, toe the line in the interests of, among other things, preserving the resource. As a hunter and fisherman, I want people to think well of me. I bristle at stereotypes, I wince at photos of 300 pound rednecks on ATVs proudly holding up forkhorns they shot under a jacklight. Aware of the public relations disaster that is too often the image of hunters viz the city folk, I dig it when the bad guys get their comeuppance.
I should be pleased, then, to see a few more ne’er-do-wells taken off the playing field in Montana.
Charges were recently filed in state district court against James Reed (Rexberg, Idaho), Blake Trangmoe (Glendive) and John Lewton (Whitehall). Lewton received the majority of the charges, including felony unlawful sale of a game animal, felony unlawful possession of a game animal, two misdemeanor counts of hunting without landowner permission, and a misdemeanor count of outfitting without a license.
Indeed, I should be pleased to see these guys caught. But…
Lewton and his buddies were arrested in an undercover sting operation during which an agent for Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks shot and killed a bighorn sheep that scored over 204 points, Boone and Crockett. A new state record. According to recently released court documents, the undercover agent approached Lewton saying he had a bighorn sheep tag for Hunting District 680 (Montana’s Missouri River Breaks). Lewton scouted from an airplane on the agent’s behalf, used walkie-talkies during the hunt (both potentially illegal activities for which he wasn’t charged), and then, with the agent in tow, crossed private ground without permission prior to showing the agent the animal. The accused watched while the agent shot the sheep.
According to court documents, the investigation began in 2005, and was seeded in the fact that Lewton was “with a number of bighorn sheep tag holders in Montana during the last 10 to 15 years when they were hunting for bighorn sheep.” His continued proximity presumably helped arouse suspicion that he was outfitting without a license. The agent, identified in court documents only as J. G., first approached Lewton on July 29, 2008. Lewton specifically told J. G. he could not charge for helping him as Lewton was not an outfitter. He went on to say that he would be scouting and flying the area for another hunter, and could do the same for J. G. for $1,000. By my reading of the court documents, these are the only monies Lewton received prior to the shooting of the sheep.
Again according to court documents, during the hunt the men passed through a small piece of private property conspicuously marked no trespassing. Lewton asked the agent if he minded trespassing and the agent responded that he did not.
The first day of the hunt, agent J. G., shot at the ram and purposefully missed. The next day, September 19, with radio guidance by Lewton and his two companions, J. G. shot at the ram and purposefully missed again. They pursued the ram further. The ram was then “chased with two others into a steep-sided coulee.” According to documents, “It was clear that J. G. must shoot the ram, which was now in close proximity to the hunters, or reveal his true identity.”
After the hunt (in October), Lewton bought the ram from the agent for $5,000.
The prosecution, by my read, hinges on two elements. The first and apparently least in question, that Lewton (and the investigating officer) crossed private ground to reach the animal. The second, that Lewton accepted $1,000 for scouting and flying the territory. It’s questionable, to my mind, if this last constitutes “outfitting,” but he apparently did accept payment. The crossing of private ground prior to taking an animal, however, is illegal, which in turn would seem to make the taking of the animal itself illegal, leading to the other charges (unlawful possession, etc.) Given that the agent J. G. agreed to cross the private ground, he participated in the crime.
The court documents do not address the tag itself, mentioning only that the undercover agent approached Lewton saying he had a tag for district 680. Given that the chances of legitimately drawing a tag are miniscule (typically under 2 percent), it seems likely that the agent was either given a tag outside the traditional channels (depriving a Montana hunter of his own tag) or was using a fraudulent tag.
I don’t know Lewton and his cohorts, nor am I privy to all the circumstances behind the sting. (Jim Kropp, Chief of Law Enforcement for the FWP, when approached for comment, didn’t feel, and quite appropriately so, that it would be in good conscience to discuss the matter pre-trial.) It may be that Lewton has a history of wrongdoing such that the FWP wanted to prosecute him by any means possible – the equivalent of sending Al Capone up on tax evasion. But even if there are extenuating circumstances, as a sportsman in Montana, I find myself offended. As a hunter and conservationist, and according to the information I have available, I must say that the greatest wrongdoing here wasn’t committed by the folks who are being charged.
Every year, a Montana “governor’s sheep permit” is sold at auction during a banquet held by the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep. The permit holder is given statewide access to Montana’s bighorns. The funds generated by these auctions are earmarked for species conservation and management. This tag, given the quality of Montana’s trophy sheep hunting, regularly goes for more than $200,000. These are monies that benefit the animals, not to mention the thousands of Montana hunters who annually apply by lottery for their own sheep tag, rolling the dice for a chance at one of these huge rams. The governor’s permit for this coming fall sold for $245,000. If this year’s permit holder kills a ram that exceeds 190 points he will no doubt consider himself lucky indeed. And a 200 point ram? Among avid sheephunters, this is the equivalent of a four minute mile, it’s like winning a big election, it’s like playing the slots in Vegas and seeing the machine come up sevens. The sirens go off, the balloons come down.
To remove the emotional element (I won’t talk about the hordes of local hunters who would have given a pinky toe for even a chance at this animal), and just by crass calculation, this sting operation cost the state of Montana, and by extension our population of bighorn sheep, tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars. Given the money that goes into these auctioned permits, the sheep in any given area are typically scouted well before hand. The largest rams are usually known by nickname. Photos of the rams often circulate at FNAWS (Foundation for Northern American Wild Sheep), helping drive up the price of the governor’s tag at auction. If it was known that a new state record was in a given area, the tag would certainly be worth an additional . . . what, twenty-five thousand dollars? Fifty thousand? Perhaps more.
Not to diminish the crimes of Lewton and his buddies (if guilty, they should certainly be prosecuted), but by intentionally removing a significant amount of money from the state’s conservation coffers, I would argue that Montana’s FWP has stepped outside its own charter, has contradicted its own raison d’etre. They are an agency who “provides for the stewardship of the fish, wildlife, parks, and recreational resources of Montana.” By taking the largest ram from a population that has added millions of dollars to regional conservation based only on its reputation for large rams, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to assume they have damaged the state’s ability to manage its population of bighorn sheep. It’s hard to see how this falls under the aegis of “stewardship.” Any crimes committed or potentially committed by the guy from Whitehall would have to be serious indeed to warrant this kind of draconian enforcement.
Furthermore, I’ve always been vaguely uncomfortable with certain aspects of Montana’s undercover sting operations. On one side, there are those stings wherein game wardens place a dummy (often animatronic) game animal next to a road and then watch to see who pulls over and shoots it. It’s the equivalent of a speed trap, and nicely sifts the bad minnows from our pond. But too often the agents participate in the crime itself, as they did in this case. Soliciting potential criminals, creating a scenario such that the suspect is actively encouraged to commit a crime (allowing peer influence and cajoling to come into play, which surely rigs the board a bit), and then the undercover agent himself pulls the trigger, playing out the scenario to a believable (if, to my mind, immoral) end. I would use the word entrapment, but I’m not sure the courts would agree. Instead, I’ll just make the point that the issue is one of moral authority, and the lack of it. This might sound like a small point, but I consider it significant indeed. You have caught a criminal, but at what cost?
Consider: Implicit within this sheep scenario is the notion that the field agent is, himself, beyond the law. If I work for the Fish, Wildlife & Parks, I can apparently commit any fish and game crime I want so long as I’m doing it in order to position someone else for prosecution. I’ll commit a greater crime (taking an illegal ram) and then charge you for a lesser crime. No one should be above the law. No one should be beyond a certain kind of accountability.
But the most troublesome aspect of this scenario isn’t the financial loss, nor is it necessarily the specific wrongdoing committed by agent J. G., it’s the fact that a law enforcement agency ostensibly acting on my behalf has, to my mind, betrayed my trust. Members of law enforcement (whether FBI, state patrolmen, city cops, sheriffs, or game wardens), insofar as they are representatives of the people, insofar as they are acting not in their own interests but in ours (they are our agents), have an obligation toward a higher standard of behavior. Indeed, it’s a sacred duty. I need to know that the people who are acting with the authority of my republic are worthy of that authority. When a field agent illegally and without repercussion kills a noble animal of demonstrable value to the state, what does this say about him? What does it say about his agency?
Consider this opinion piece a call for an investigation. Either Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks needs to do some serious soul searching and rearranging of its law enforcement methods or the state Attorney General needs to do it for them. As a sportsman, as a Montana landowner and tax payer, as the public for whom these people work, I need to have my faith in Montana’s FWP restored.
Allen M. Jones is the author of, among other books, A Quiet Place of Violence: Hunting and Ethics in the Missouri River Breaks
The story of a 204-point ram, an undercover agent and what it all says about Montana's Fish Wildlife and Parks department.
By Allen M. Jones, 8-31-09
I like to hunt, and I like to fish, and I like to do them in good conscience. This means, first and foremost, that I do my best to obey the rule of law, toe the line in the interests of, among other things, preserving the resource. As a hunter and fisherman, I want people to think well of me. I bristle at stereotypes, I wince at photos of 300 pound rednecks on ATVs proudly holding up forkhorns they shot under a jacklight. Aware of the public relations disaster that is too often the image of hunters viz the city folk, I dig it when the bad guys get their comeuppance.
I should be pleased, then, to see a few more ne’er-do-wells taken off the playing field in Montana.
Charges were recently filed in state district court against James Reed (Rexberg, Idaho), Blake Trangmoe (Glendive) and John Lewton (Whitehall). Lewton received the majority of the charges, including felony unlawful sale of a game animal, felony unlawful possession of a game animal, two misdemeanor counts of hunting without landowner permission, and a misdemeanor count of outfitting without a license.
Indeed, I should be pleased to see these guys caught. But…
Lewton and his buddies were arrested in an undercover sting operation during which an agent for Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks shot and killed a bighorn sheep that scored over 204 points, Boone and Crockett. A new state record. According to recently released court documents, the undercover agent approached Lewton saying he had a bighorn sheep tag for Hunting District 680 (Montana’s Missouri River Breaks). Lewton scouted from an airplane on the agent’s behalf, used walkie-talkies during the hunt (both potentially illegal activities for which he wasn’t charged), and then, with the agent in tow, crossed private ground without permission prior to showing the agent the animal. The accused watched while the agent shot the sheep.
According to court documents, the investigation began in 2005, and was seeded in the fact that Lewton was “with a number of bighorn sheep tag holders in Montana during the last 10 to 15 years when they were hunting for bighorn sheep.” His continued proximity presumably helped arouse suspicion that he was outfitting without a license. The agent, identified in court documents only as J. G., first approached Lewton on July 29, 2008. Lewton specifically told J. G. he could not charge for helping him as Lewton was not an outfitter. He went on to say that he would be scouting and flying the area for another hunter, and could do the same for J. G. for $1,000. By my reading of the court documents, these are the only monies Lewton received prior to the shooting of the sheep.
Again according to court documents, during the hunt the men passed through a small piece of private property conspicuously marked no trespassing. Lewton asked the agent if he minded trespassing and the agent responded that he did not.
The first day of the hunt, agent J. G., shot at the ram and purposefully missed. The next day, September 19, with radio guidance by Lewton and his two companions, J. G. shot at the ram and purposefully missed again. They pursued the ram further. The ram was then “chased with two others into a steep-sided coulee.” According to documents, “It was clear that J. G. must shoot the ram, which was now in close proximity to the hunters, or reveal his true identity.”
After the hunt (in October), Lewton bought the ram from the agent for $5,000.
The prosecution, by my read, hinges on two elements. The first and apparently least in question, that Lewton (and the investigating officer) crossed private ground to reach the animal. The second, that Lewton accepted $1,000 for scouting and flying the territory. It’s questionable, to my mind, if this last constitutes “outfitting,” but he apparently did accept payment. The crossing of private ground prior to taking an animal, however, is illegal, which in turn would seem to make the taking of the animal itself illegal, leading to the other charges (unlawful possession, etc.) Given that the agent J. G. agreed to cross the private ground, he participated in the crime.
The court documents do not address the tag itself, mentioning only that the undercover agent approached Lewton saying he had a tag for district 680. Given that the chances of legitimately drawing a tag are miniscule (typically under 2 percent), it seems likely that the agent was either given a tag outside the traditional channels (depriving a Montana hunter of his own tag) or was using a fraudulent tag.
I don’t know Lewton and his cohorts, nor am I privy to all the circumstances behind the sting. (Jim Kropp, Chief of Law Enforcement for the FWP, when approached for comment, didn’t feel, and quite appropriately so, that it would be in good conscience to discuss the matter pre-trial.) It may be that Lewton has a history of wrongdoing such that the FWP wanted to prosecute him by any means possible – the equivalent of sending Al Capone up on tax evasion. But even if there are extenuating circumstances, as a sportsman in Montana, I find myself offended. As a hunter and conservationist, and according to the information I have available, I must say that the greatest wrongdoing here wasn’t committed by the folks who are being charged.
Every year, a Montana “governor’s sheep permit” is sold at auction during a banquet held by the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep. The permit holder is given statewide access to Montana’s bighorns. The funds generated by these auctions are earmarked for species conservation and management. This tag, given the quality of Montana’s trophy sheep hunting, regularly goes for more than $200,000. These are monies that benefit the animals, not to mention the thousands of Montana hunters who annually apply by lottery for their own sheep tag, rolling the dice for a chance at one of these huge rams. The governor’s permit for this coming fall sold for $245,000. If this year’s permit holder kills a ram that exceeds 190 points he will no doubt consider himself lucky indeed. And a 200 point ram? Among avid sheephunters, this is the equivalent of a four minute mile, it’s like winning a big election, it’s like playing the slots in Vegas and seeing the machine come up sevens. The sirens go off, the balloons come down.
To remove the emotional element (I won’t talk about the hordes of local hunters who would have given a pinky toe for even a chance at this animal), and just by crass calculation, this sting operation cost the state of Montana, and by extension our population of bighorn sheep, tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars. Given the money that goes into these auctioned permits, the sheep in any given area are typically scouted well before hand. The largest rams are usually known by nickname. Photos of the rams often circulate at FNAWS (Foundation for Northern American Wild Sheep), helping drive up the price of the governor’s tag at auction. If it was known that a new state record was in a given area, the tag would certainly be worth an additional . . . what, twenty-five thousand dollars? Fifty thousand? Perhaps more.
Not to diminish the crimes of Lewton and his buddies (if guilty, they should certainly be prosecuted), but by intentionally removing a significant amount of money from the state’s conservation coffers, I would argue that Montana’s FWP has stepped outside its own charter, has contradicted its own raison d’etre. They are an agency who “provides for the stewardship of the fish, wildlife, parks, and recreational resources of Montana.” By taking the largest ram from a population that has added millions of dollars to regional conservation based only on its reputation for large rams, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to assume they have damaged the state’s ability to manage its population of bighorn sheep. It’s hard to see how this falls under the aegis of “stewardship.” Any crimes committed or potentially committed by the guy from Whitehall would have to be serious indeed to warrant this kind of draconian enforcement.
Furthermore, I’ve always been vaguely uncomfortable with certain aspects of Montana’s undercover sting operations. On one side, there are those stings wherein game wardens place a dummy (often animatronic) game animal next to a road and then watch to see who pulls over and shoots it. It’s the equivalent of a speed trap, and nicely sifts the bad minnows from our pond. But too often the agents participate in the crime itself, as they did in this case. Soliciting potential criminals, creating a scenario such that the suspect is actively encouraged to commit a crime (allowing peer influence and cajoling to come into play, which surely rigs the board a bit), and then the undercover agent himself pulls the trigger, playing out the scenario to a believable (if, to my mind, immoral) end. I would use the word entrapment, but I’m not sure the courts would agree. Instead, I’ll just make the point that the issue is one of moral authority, and the lack of it. This might sound like a small point, but I consider it significant indeed. You have caught a criminal, but at what cost?
Consider: Implicit within this sheep scenario is the notion that the field agent is, himself, beyond the law. If I work for the Fish, Wildlife & Parks, I can apparently commit any fish and game crime I want so long as I’m doing it in order to position someone else for prosecution. I’ll commit a greater crime (taking an illegal ram) and then charge you for a lesser crime. No one should be above the law. No one should be beyond a certain kind of accountability.
But the most troublesome aspect of this scenario isn’t the financial loss, nor is it necessarily the specific wrongdoing committed by agent J. G., it’s the fact that a law enforcement agency ostensibly acting on my behalf has, to my mind, betrayed my trust. Members of law enforcement (whether FBI, state patrolmen, city cops, sheriffs, or game wardens), insofar as they are representatives of the people, insofar as they are acting not in their own interests but in ours (they are our agents), have an obligation toward a higher standard of behavior. Indeed, it’s a sacred duty. I need to know that the people who are acting with the authority of my republic are worthy of that authority. When a field agent illegally and without repercussion kills a noble animal of demonstrable value to the state, what does this say about him? What does it say about his agency?
Consider this opinion piece a call for an investigation. Either Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks needs to do some serious soul searching and rearranging of its law enforcement methods or the state Attorney General needs to do it for them. As a sportsman, as a Montana landowner and tax payer, as the public for whom these people work, I need to have my faith in Montana’s FWP restored.
Allen M. Jones is the author of, among other books, A Quiet Place of Violence: Hunting and Ethics in the Missouri River Breaks
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
From that thread:
As Allen Jones stated, “ As a hunter and conservationist, and according to the information I have available, I must say that the greatest wrongdoing here wasn’t committed by the folks who are being charged.”
Unfortunately whatever scenario shakes out will not bring the 44 Magnum Ram back to life. FWP has created a public relations nightmare and I’m not sure they have any idea of the monster this has become! This case has gone way beyond the borders of Montana. Once the 44 Magnum Ram email made the rounds, almost a year ago, most of the hunters in North America had either seen or heard about it if they knew a sheep hunter. The bighorn sheep hunting community is a rather small well connected group of which many know of John Lewton, have hunted with him or have seen one of his sheep hunting videos. I guarantee that every Fish & Game Dept that has a bighorn sheep resource is watching this closely and making sure they have the checks and balances in place that would never allow this to happen. I have to believe Eastman’s Journal, Huntin Fool, FNAWS (Wild Sheep Foundation), etc. are all waiting to hear something from FWP so they can report what occurred to their readers/ members. Telling the public almost a year later that they are waiting until the trial is over is the wrong answer.
Here’s some more info…
· The ram was tight taped at 204 and change B&C;green, which is within 7/8” of the current MT state record taken by Jim Weatherly in 1993
· Assuming a dry score of 204 0/8 would rank the ram as # 6 in the Boone & Crockett book taken All Time anywhere, including Canada and the United States. (This is based on the 2005 Boone & Crockett Record Book since the next book to be released will be after 2010)
· The World Record is 208 3/8 B&C;taken by Guinn Crousen from Luscar Mountain, Alberta, Canada in 2000. The 44 Magnum Ram, as a 7 ½ to 8 1/2 year old, was within 4 1/2” of the World Record, or ~ 2 2/8” per horn or ~ ½” per circumference measurement! That doesn’t even take horn length into consideration!
· In 1998 and 1999 Sherwin Scott spent $1.1 million for the auction tags to hunt bighorn in Alberta, Canada. He hunted 17 days in 1998 and chose not to shoot a ram and in 1999 he took a ram that scored “in the neighborhood of 205”, which is called the “Million Dollar” Ram on the internet…
· Last year 3 rams over 200” (including the 44 Magnum Ram) came out of the Missouri River Breaks areas HD 482 and HD 680
· In the 2008 MT draw statistics there were 2289 applications (1824 resident/ 465 non-res) for the 15 ram tags in HD482 (south side of the river) and 5019 applications (2512 resident/ 2507 non-res) for the 20 ram tags in HD680 (north side of the river). These rams are known to cross the river so both areas are relevant to show hunter demand. That’s a total of 7308 applications for the 35 tags in these 2 units!
Here’s what I think FWP has to do for damage control:
· Admit they were wrong, that the agent made a horrible judgment error in the field, and show that the system has been changed so this can never happen again. No one likes to see anyone lose their job so maybe re-assignment for those involved to departments that have nothing to do with big game hunting may be appropriate. Did they really have a kid in his late 20’s in the field as an undercover agent without explicit orders that you do not shoot a ram under any circumstance?
· Let the public know how much was spent on this entire case as well as who authorized the sheep tag to be issued. Was this tag one of the 20 tags to be issued in the public draw or was it a mysterious 21st tag?
· If the sheep tag was one of the 20 tags allocated for the public draw, the next person on the alternate list for HD680 for the 2008 hunt should be given a tag for that unit assuming that MT biologists say the herd can support the possible taking of one more ram from that area next year.
My opinion is that when the dust settles the felony charges will be dropped since they would have never occurred had the FWP undercover agent not shot the ram. Also, a legally taken ram with plugged horns may be sold to whomever the hunter wishes to sell it to. The FWP undercover agent told Lewton he was going to sell it on Ebay, which is a felony by FWP’s own definition of illegal possession and sale of a game animal if in fact the horns were not plugged. Did you also know that the restitution for illegally killing a bighorn sheep is $30,000 as stated in the Montana FWP Hunting Regulations? The alleged misdemeanors of outfitting w/o a license and hunting w/o landowner permission are the only possible charges that FWP can pursue. Neither of which justifies the killing of any ram.
There is no question that had pictures of this ram been circulated prior to the auction that the tag would have sold for more than $300K. But I feel worse for the average hunter that applied for this tag ($130 resident/ $755 non-resident) and had the same opportunity of taking a world-class ram as someone that could afford $300K and FWP took that away from them! I also applied for this tag and am extremely disappointed.
I spoke to a sheep hunting friend of mine last night and he suggested that I should wait to put anything on this blog because more info may come out at trial. I said that’s the whole problem here! When it all comes down and the trial is over, if John Lewton is convicted of ANYTHING there is no way this could justify the killing of such a magnificent animal!
As Allen Jones stated, “ As a hunter and conservationist, and according to the information I have available, I must say that the greatest wrongdoing here wasn’t committed by the folks who are being charged.”
Unfortunately whatever scenario shakes out will not bring the 44 Magnum Ram back to life. FWP has created a public relations nightmare and I’m not sure they have any idea of the monster this has become! This case has gone way beyond the borders of Montana. Once the 44 Magnum Ram email made the rounds, almost a year ago, most of the hunters in North America had either seen or heard about it if they knew a sheep hunter. The bighorn sheep hunting community is a rather small well connected group of which many know of John Lewton, have hunted with him or have seen one of his sheep hunting videos. I guarantee that every Fish & Game Dept that has a bighorn sheep resource is watching this closely and making sure they have the checks and balances in place that would never allow this to happen. I have to believe Eastman’s Journal, Huntin Fool, FNAWS (Wild Sheep Foundation), etc. are all waiting to hear something from FWP so they can report what occurred to their readers/ members. Telling the public almost a year later that they are waiting until the trial is over is the wrong answer.
Here’s some more info…
· The ram was tight taped at 204 and change B&C;green, which is within 7/8” of the current MT state record taken by Jim Weatherly in 1993
· Assuming a dry score of 204 0/8 would rank the ram as # 6 in the Boone & Crockett book taken All Time anywhere, including Canada and the United States. (This is based on the 2005 Boone & Crockett Record Book since the next book to be released will be after 2010)
· The World Record is 208 3/8 B&C;taken by Guinn Crousen from Luscar Mountain, Alberta, Canada in 2000. The 44 Magnum Ram, as a 7 ½ to 8 1/2 year old, was within 4 1/2” of the World Record, or ~ 2 2/8” per horn or ~ ½” per circumference measurement! That doesn’t even take horn length into consideration!
· In 1998 and 1999 Sherwin Scott spent $1.1 million for the auction tags to hunt bighorn in Alberta, Canada. He hunted 17 days in 1998 and chose not to shoot a ram and in 1999 he took a ram that scored “in the neighborhood of 205”, which is called the “Million Dollar” Ram on the internet…
· Last year 3 rams over 200” (including the 44 Magnum Ram) came out of the Missouri River Breaks areas HD 482 and HD 680
· In the 2008 MT draw statistics there were 2289 applications (1824 resident/ 465 non-res) for the 15 ram tags in HD482 (south side of the river) and 5019 applications (2512 resident/ 2507 non-res) for the 20 ram tags in HD680 (north side of the river). These rams are known to cross the river so both areas are relevant to show hunter demand. That’s a total of 7308 applications for the 35 tags in these 2 units!
Here’s what I think FWP has to do for damage control:
· Admit they were wrong, that the agent made a horrible judgment error in the field, and show that the system has been changed so this can never happen again. No one likes to see anyone lose their job so maybe re-assignment for those involved to departments that have nothing to do with big game hunting may be appropriate. Did they really have a kid in his late 20’s in the field as an undercover agent without explicit orders that you do not shoot a ram under any circumstance?
· Let the public know how much was spent on this entire case as well as who authorized the sheep tag to be issued. Was this tag one of the 20 tags to be issued in the public draw or was it a mysterious 21st tag?
· If the sheep tag was one of the 20 tags allocated for the public draw, the next person on the alternate list for HD680 for the 2008 hunt should be given a tag for that unit assuming that MT biologists say the herd can support the possible taking of one more ram from that area next year.
My opinion is that when the dust settles the felony charges will be dropped since they would have never occurred had the FWP undercover agent not shot the ram. Also, a legally taken ram with plugged horns may be sold to whomever the hunter wishes to sell it to. The FWP undercover agent told Lewton he was going to sell it on Ebay, which is a felony by FWP’s own definition of illegal possession and sale of a game animal if in fact the horns were not plugged. Did you also know that the restitution for illegally killing a bighorn sheep is $30,000 as stated in the Montana FWP Hunting Regulations? The alleged misdemeanors of outfitting w/o a license and hunting w/o landowner permission are the only possible charges that FWP can pursue. Neither of which justifies the killing of any ram.
There is no question that had pictures of this ram been circulated prior to the auction that the tag would have sold for more than $300K. But I feel worse for the average hunter that applied for this tag ($130 resident/ $755 non-resident) and had the same opportunity of taking a world-class ram as someone that could afford $300K and FWP took that away from them! I also applied for this tag and am extremely disappointed.
I spoke to a sheep hunting friend of mine last night and he suggested that I should wait to put anything on this blog because more info may come out at trial. I said that’s the whole problem here! When it all comes down and the trial is over, if John Lewton is convicted of ANYTHING there is no way this could justify the killing of such a magnificent animal!
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sneekeepete
- Monster
- Posts: 1757
- Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:15 pm
- Location: Utah
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
I tend to feel the same as most of you that have posted already. It is a shame that in order to catch these idiots they had to take a new Record Book Ram. On the that note however this is what B&C is doing.
This bighorn, reported to have a B&C score near 204, was part of a poaching sting operation.
For the full story, copy and paste the following web address into your browser: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/p ... /908290304
In instances where a trophy is owned by a state wildlife agency, and that agency enters the trophy for inclusion into B&C records on behalf of the citizens of that state or province, the Club will accept such entries as a historical record of successful conservation.
Here is the link http://www.boone-crockett.org/news/trop ... ?area=news
This bighorn, reported to have a B&C score near 204, was part of a poaching sting operation.
For the full story, copy and paste the following web address into your browser: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/p ... /908290304
In instances where a trophy is owned by a state wildlife agency, and that agency enters the trophy for inclusion into B&C records on behalf of the citizens of that state or province, the Club will accept such entries as a historical record of successful conservation.
Here is the link http://www.boone-crockett.org/news/trop ... ?area=news
SNEEKEEPETE
OIF Vet.
Sgt Petersen USMC
Colossians 1:27,28
OIF Vet.
Sgt Petersen USMC
Colossians 1:27,28
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
Listen everyone the point your missing here is they started this investigation because Lewton was accompanying these hunters so they were suspicious he was taking money. A FOUR YEAR INVESTIGATION TURNED UP NOT ONE THING! If you read some other blogs there are numerous people writing in saying Lewton went on their sheep hunts and asked not for one penny and then thanked them for letting him be a part of their hunt. It also says pretty much everywhere these men have No Prior Offenses. All that was charged this time were misdemeanors and it sounds like the trespassing is very questionable as the road was posted public road across private land and the illegal guiding is very questionable as they asked for no money and only received payment for the pilot of the plane which was also legal. So the whole thing comes down to the fact that no previous crime was found, no serious crime was solicited by the accused, slim misdemeanors were the only crimes that would amount to a simple ticket until the FWP created this crime because they had nothing else. They served a search warrant on Lewton's home and business. They seized all of his computers, cameras, records, etc. a year ago. After analyzing all of it for almost a year they came up with not one charge other than his taxidermy license had barely lapsed and needed renewed. Look this up its all public record. The statute of limitations is a year from the time of the supposed crime. It says the ram was shot Sept 19th. If they had a monster crime ring and all these charges you guys are trying to create, why did it take so long to come up with nothing but THIN charges? No, they had to come up with some charges before the statute of limitations ran out in a week or two to cover the outrage they are receiving over killing this ram. All the investigating ONLY came up with the charges from the crime created by the officer shooting that ram that one day AND Lewton buying a supposedly legally taken ram which is also not illegal and also created by him shooting the ram. I've always been a staunch supporter of all fish and game departments. I thank them for the job they do to protect our game. I just find it a travesty these good men, by all accounts of everyone writing in that knows them, are being hung simply because this is an investigation that went awry. I'm sure the FWP was suspicious of his accompanying all these sheep hunters and I'm sure after complaints by the 680 outfitter from Butte they followed up and I'm sure they believed they would find all kinds of evidence of wrongdoing when they served the search warrants, but they didn't. They shot the ram hoping there would be alot more but there wasn't. Now because they solicited these men on this hunt, and remember without them approaching these men even the misdemeanors wouldn't be there, and created this crime and the one crime created by the FWP is the only thing they have.
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sneekeepete
- Monster
- Posts: 1757
- Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:15 pm
- Location: Utah
Re: "One tough case" - Sent to me in email
mthunter,
Where can we see this public record? I can't find it maybe I am just that ocmputer illiterate. I am currious and would like to read more about the sittuation.
Where can we see this public record? I can't find it maybe I am just that ocmputer illiterate. I am currious and would like to read more about the sittuation.
SNEEKEEPETE
OIF Vet.
Sgt Petersen USMC
Colossians 1:27,28
OIF Vet.
Sgt Petersen USMC
Colossians 1:27,28