February 21, 2018
From Jason Auslander, DenverPost.com
Two Indiana hunting instructors will not be able to hunt or possess firearms for two years after pleading guilty Tuesday to killing a bear in Pitkin County and leaving the carcass behind.
The second, larger and darker-colored bear that has been regularly making the rounds looking for food in the Aspen Business Center area neighborhoods.
Dan Roe, 55, and his son, Alex Roe, 27, pleaded guilty to willful destruction of big game, a felony, as well as misdemeanor counts of failure to dress or care for wildlife, illegal possession of wildlife and hunting without permission. The men killed the bear in September 2016 and took its head and hide, but left the rest.
As part of a plea deal with the District Attorney’s Office, the two men were sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation. The felony will be wiped from their criminal records if both stay out of trouble for the next two years as part of the agreement.
“The most important (part of the deal) is the impact on their ability to hunt,” said prosecutor Ben Sollars. “For two years, they cannot hunt — either of them.”
The hunting ban applies to the entire country, Sollars said. The hunting ban for the Roes in Colorado could extend beyond the two years, Sollars said, because the guilty pleas to the misdemeanor counts will add “suspension points” that could lead the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to impose an additional ban.