Arkansas Hunter Allegedly Took Alaska Caribou Illegally, Facing Fines And Probation Penalties

An Arkansas hunter is facing lots of penalties after alleging illegally taking a caribou and returning it out of the state. Here’s more from Little Rock TV station Fox 16 News:

The United States Attorney’s Office charged 54-year-old Edward A. Bundy of Tuckerman on March 21 with transporting a bull caribou he killed from Alaska to his home. Bundy had claimed Alaska residency despite not being a resident, making his caribou harvest illegal.

The Attorney’s Office said Bundy had violated the Lacey Act, which prohibits transporting illegally taken wildlife over state lines. He faces up to one year in jail and $100,000 in fines if convicted.

According to the charging affidavit, the caribou was shipped from an Alaska tannery to Bundy’s Arkansas home. 

Here’s the Alaska’s Department of Justice’s press release:

ANCHORAGE – An Arkansas resident was charged on April 11, 2023, relating to unlawfully transporting illegally taken wildlife from Alaska to his residence in Arkansas.

According to court documents, Edward A. Bundy, of Tuckerman, Arkansas, 54, was charged by the United States Attorney’s Office for transporting a bull caribou from Alaska to his home in Arkansas which he killed in violation of Alaska Fish and Game laws. It is alleged that Bundy falsely claimed Alaska residency when he was not a resident of the state of Alaska, making his take of the bull caribou illegal.

Bundy is charged with a violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits transportation of unlawfully taken wildlife over state lines. If convicted, Bundy faces up to a year imprisonment and a fine of $100,000.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska; and Resident Agent in Charge David Rippeto made the announcement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with the assistance of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Skrocki is prosecuting the case.

An information is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.