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Covering the Tetons since 1965

Alabama Man Convicted in 25-Year-Old Wyoming Wildlife Case After Decades on the Run

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Kenny Craig, a 53-year-old from Elkmont, Alabama, was convicted on June 25, 2024, in Fremont County Circuit Court for wildlife crimes committed in Wyoming during the 1998 hunting season. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported on March 20th that Craig, once a Lysite resident, faced charges after evading court for over two decades. Arrested in March 2024 on a 2000 bench warrant during a Crook County traffic stop by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, he was released on a $1,000 bond.

Craig pleaded no contest to taking a deer without a license, receiving a $410 fine, $1,000 restitution for an illegally killed buck mule deer, and a three-year suspension of hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges. Three additional charges were dropped, and two violations went uncharged. The case stemmed from October 24, 1998, when Craig killed a 5-by-5 buck on the Sand Mesa Wildlife Habitat Management Area near Riverton using an invalid general deer license for Deer Hunt Area 157, later falsifying it with his brother’s limited quota tag.

Further violations included buying resident licenses without meeting Wyoming’s one-year residency requirement—having lived in the state for only three months—and lacking a mandatory hunter education course. Investigations began in 1999 by now-retired wardens Chris Daubin and Brad Gibb, but Craig fled to Alabama after missing an October 1999 court date. Fremont County prosecutors Pat LeBrun and Ember Oakley pursued the case using original reports.

Jason Hunter, Lander Region Wildlife Supervisor, noted no statute of limitations exists for wildlife crimes in Wyoming, emphasizing accountability. Tips can be reported to the Stop Poaching Hotline at 877-WGFD-TIP or online at wgfd.wyo.gov/enforcement.

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