March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Warden apprehends two alleged poachers

UNION — Game Warden Mark Thompson had to spend all night Wednesday in the woods, but his stakeout resulted in the apprehension of two alleged moose poachers.

Arrested at 7:30 a.m. Thursday while in the process of cutting up a 500-pound cow moose were Kenneth Leonard, 37, and Edward Billings, 31, both of Warren.

Leonard was charged with killing a moose out of season, and is subject to a minimum penalty of three days in jail and a $1,000 fine. He also was charged with illegal possession of moose parts and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Billings was charged with illegal possession of moose parts.

Both men were booked at the Knox County jail and were released on bail. Leonard’s bail was $200 on each of the moose hunting charges and $1,000 on the firearm possession charge. Billings was freed on $200 unsecured bail.

Thompson said his investigation was prompted by a telephone tip on the warden service’s Operation Game Thief toll-free hotline. The caller informed wardens that a moose had been shot on Clary Hill.

Thompson said he went to Clary Hill Wednesday afternoon and discovered the “fresh-killed” 2 1/2-year-old moose near the summit, hidden under a pile of brush. He then hid in the brush and waited to see if anyone returned to retrieve the carcass.

“I did surveillance from about 5:30 that night until the next morning,” Thompson said. “At about 8:30 p.m. two subjects returned to the kill and dressed out the moose. It took them about 10 minutes, then they covered the moose with brush and left the area.”

Thompson said he decided against trying to arrest the pair immediately because “by listening to their conversation I kind of knew they’d be coming back. Besides, it would have been hard to get the two of them in the dark … chasing through the brush.”

Allen and Berry arrived at 10:30 p.m. and the three wardens waited on stakeout until they observed the two men return an hour after daybreak. Thompson said that when wardens announced their presence, one of the men was cutting at the moose’s hind quarters with a meat saw. The pair was arrested without incident.

Thompson said that Billings and Leonard were both licensed hunters. Wardens confiscated their vehicle and a 12-gauge, pump shotgun and a 30.06 semi-automatic rifle.

Assisting Thompson with the arrest were wardens William Allen and David Berry.


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