Yellowstone: Poacher Convicted On State Charges

Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Poacher Convicted On State Charges

On May 19th, Stephen Slavinsky, 44, a Montana resident, was sentenced in a Gallatin County court after pleading guilty to four state felony poaching charges. Slavinsky had also attempted to take wildlife from the park, where he’d been previously convicted of poaching an elk. An investigation conducted by investigators from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks revealed that Slavinsky was conducting illegal guiding, hunting and trapping operations, and that he attempted to take elk and river otters from the park on the night of December 8, 2007. Slavinsky had a previous misdemeanor federal conviction from 1987 after poaching an elk in the same area of Yellowstone. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison (15 years suspended). As part of his sentencing, he also lost his hunting privileges for life anywhere in the world, is prohibited from possessing firearms and other weapons for life, is banned from entering any national park for 20 years, must forfeit all mounts, antlers, horns and pelts seized during the investigation, and must pay the court costs. In light of the state sentence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the National Park Service declined to pursue additional federal misdemeanor charges.