Early September 2016 was a busy time for DWR conservation officer Eric Miller. He received two tips -- through Utah's Help Stop Poaching Hotline -- that helped he and additional DWR officers break huge poaching cases in Northeastern Utah.
The cases involved two separate families, the members of which killed multiple animals.
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DUCHESNE COUNTY — On Sept. 26, 2016, the DWR conservation officer in Roosevelt received a tip that William (Billy) August Thompson had possibly killed a large bull elk and several cow elk in Uintah and Duchesne counties.
William Thompson stole four bull elk and other animals from legal hunters during a poaching spree in fall 2016. He'll pay almost $17,000 in restitution and fines, serve 107 days in jail and be on probation for 36 months. He might also lose his hunting privileges for the next 65 years in 47 states, including Utah, that are part of the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact.
The tip launched two weeks of interviews and surveillance. Through their efforts, DWR officers determined the tip was accurate: William had likely killed a large trophy bull elk in the Pigeon Water area of Duchesne County and several cow elk in Tridell in Uintah County.
On Oct. 11, 2016, DWR officers interviewed William and Jennifer (William’s wife) at their home in Mount Emmons in Duchesne County. During his interview, William admitted to illegally killing at least three bull elk, two cow elk and a deer in Tridell. But the poaching wasn’t limited to William. Officers also learned that Jennifer had illegally killed one cow elk and one deer in the same area. Officers then seized three sets of bull elk antlers, meat from two elk, one rifle and a bow from the Thompson home.
As officers continued their investigation, they learned the poaching didn’t stop with William and Jennifer, either: William admitted helping George Walsh—Jennifer’s stepfather from East Meadow, New York—kill a buck deer, a doe deer and a cow elk in Tridell, all without legal tags.
During his final interview with officers, the total number of animals William killed illegally finally came to light. He admitted killing a total of four bull elk (including two trophy bulls), four cow elk and two buck deer. William, who is a convicted felon, also admitted to killing most of the animals with a rifle, which he isn’t permitted to have. He also admitted to fraudulently buying duplicate tags to put on additional animals, buying a tag in his grandfather’s name, killing and tagging a trophy bull with his wife’s tag, and helping her kill a cow elk and a doe deer. Jennifer admitted to killing the cow elk and the doe deer.
DWR officers then turned their attention to Jennifer’s stepfather. They contacted officers with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). On Oct. 18, 2016, NYSDEC officers interviewed Walsh at his home. At first, Walsh denied killing anything in Utah. After the officers found out about 40 pounds of elk meat at his home, though, Walsh admitted the meat was from Utah. NYSDEC officers seized the elk meat and issued Walsh a citation for illegal possession of big game.
On Jan. 24, 2018 in Duchesne County, and March 27, 2018 in Uintah County, the Thompsons pleaded guilty to all of the charges against them. William received a court fine of $500 and was ordered to pay $16,350 to the state’s Help Stop Poaching fund. He was also placed on probation for 36 months and ordered to serve 107 days in the Duchesne County and Uintah County jails. He could lose his hunting and fishing privileges in Utah—and 46 other states involved in the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact—for 65 years.
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On Sept. 23, 2016, the DWR conservation officer in Roosevelt, Utah received a tip from Utah’s Turn-in-a-Poacher phone hotline. The tip indicated that a convicted felon, Kenneth (Kenny) Swenson Jr., was poaching cow elk and pheasants in nearby Duchesne County. The officer quickly confirmed that Mr. Swenson was a felon and should not be in possession of firearms. The officer also confirmed that Mr. Swenson did not have any valid hunting licenses for 2016.
Kenneth Swenson Jr. shows the head and antlers of a bull elk he stole from legal hunters during a family poaching spree in fall 2016. For his role in the spree, Kenneth could pay as much as $24,000 in restitution and fines and serve up to 10 years in prison. He's also lost his hunting priviliges for at least the next 28 years in the 47 states, including Utah, that are part of the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact.
Upon further investigation, DWR officers discovered that several other law enforcement agencies were also searching for Mr. Swenson. He was a known drug dealer and was rumored to be stealing items within the Uintah Basin.
Mr. Swenson did not have a current address and was very difficult to locate. After extensive investigation and surveillance, DWR officers discovered Swenson’s residence through the use of Facebook and Google Earth.
As the case unfolded, it became apparent that Swenson had killed more than cow elk. DWR officers discovered that he had killed a trophy bull elk on the Wasatch limited-entry unit near Strawberry Reservoir in Wasatch County.
He had also assisted his 12-year-old son and 15-year-old stepson in killing two trophy bull elk on the South Slope Yellowstone/Bonanza/Vernal unit in Duchesne County. He also didn’t stop at illegally harvesting elk. He killed two buck deer in the Book Cliffs limited-entry unit in Uintah County and assisted his wife, Marie Swenson, in killing a large buck in the same area.
These animals were all killed without legal permits. Some of the animals were tagged with Ute Tribe big game tags, which Swenson had fraudulently purchased.
DWR officers worked diligently with several different agencies to capture Swenson. These agencies included the FBI, BIA, Uintah County Sheriff, Duchesne County Sheriff and the Roosevelt Police Department.
On Dec. 19, 2016, with assistance from the Uintah County Sheriff’s Department, Mr. Swenson was pulled over in Vernal and arrested. When pulled over, Mr. Swenson was found in possession of two handguns and several vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana, heroin, pills and methamphetamine. He was interviewed by a DWR investigator and admitted to killing, or assisting in the killing of three elk and two deer. However, he would not tell DWR officers where the antlers of the harvested animals were located.
Over a period of several weeks, DWR officers conducted a total of 18 interviews related to the case. In one of these interviews, Marie Swenson admitted to killing a large buck deer in the Book Cliffs.
With enough evidence, DWR officers served 14 search warrants on several buildings, vehicles, phones, GPS units and Facebook profiles. One of the searches, conducted in an RV at Swenson’s residence, produced nearly 50 firearms that Mr. Swenson used for hunting. DWR officers seized a rifle suspected of being used to kill the trophy elk in Wasatch and the deer in the Book Cliffs. Later, it was discovered many of these firearms were stolen.
Many of the suspected stolen items that other agencies were investigating were also found at the Swenson residence. DWR officers were able to locate one set of elk antlers from the elk killed in Duchesne County and two sets of deer antlers from deer killed in the Book Cliffs. Officers also seized two deer hides and all big game meat as evidence from the Swenson residence.
Kenny Swenson pleaded guilty in Duchesne County on Dec. 11, 2017 to two counts of Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife, both third-degree felonies. He was ordered to pay $16,000 dollars to the Help Stop Poaching fund and sentenced to no more than five years in prison for each charge. He also lost all his hunting privileges for 28 years.
Mr. Swenson will still face charges in Wasatch County, where he could pay up to $8,000 in restitution and lose an additional 14 years of hunting privileges.
Mr. Swenson’s two Class A misdemeanor charges of Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife and other drug-related charges in Uintah County were dismissed because he is currently in a federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon.
On Jan. 11, 2018, Marie Swenson pleaded guilty in Uintah County to one count of Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife, a Class B misdemeanor. She was ordered to pay $400 to the Help Stop Poaching fund. She lost her big game hunting privileges for three years.
We'd like to extend our thanks to those who help us out by reporting poachers. If you witness suspicious activity or any wildlife violations, please call the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher (UTiP) Hotline at 800-662-3337 or submit a report online. Rewards might be available to those who provide information that leads to the successful prosecution of the individuals who break the law. Requests for confidentiality are respected and honored.
Jennifer received a court fine of $500 and was ordered to pay $1,900 to the Help Stop Poaching fund. She was placed on probation for 36 months and ordered to serve 10 days in the Uintah County Jail. She could lose her hunting privileges in all the states involved in the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact for 17 years.
Walsh is still going through the court process. If convicted, he could pay up to $1,550 to the Help Stop Poaching fund, serve jail time and lose his hunting privileges for 17 years.
DWR officers are grateful for the tip that led to this investigation and its successful conclusion. If you have information about any wildlife violation, please call the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher (UTiP) Hotline at 800-662-3337 or submit a report online. Requests for confidentiality are respected and honored.
