February 8, 2021 3:30 a.m.
A White City man was sentenced on Thursday for violating the Lacey Act by poaching a trophy bull elk in Crater Lake National Park.
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams said 44-year old Adrian Wood was sentenced to five years federal probation to include a six-month stay at a residential reentry center. Williams said the court also ordered that Wood be banned for life from being in the park, be restricted from any hunting for the duration of his probation, and pay $42,500 in restitution to the National Park Service.
Williams said “Our nation’s environmental laws are in place to protect vulnerable wildlife populations and ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to enjoy these animals as we do today”. He said that Wood preyed on elk and deer who were unaccustomed to being hunted and thus were uniquely vulnerable to poaching. Williams said the defendant engaged in the acts with his minor son and bragged about his criminal behavior to others.
According to court documents, in July of 2014, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oregon State Police began a multi-year investigation into Wood’s illegal hunting activities based on reports that he was poaching wildlife in Crater Lake National Park. A release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Oregon, said at least two sources stated that Wood had killed several deer and elk on the west side of the park after baiting them into a meadow with rock salt. OSP received further reports that Wood was illegally poaching wildlife at night.
The next month, Wood and his son were observed by an OSP trooper leaving the park after dark. The man had a loaded AR-15 semi-automatic rifle outfitted with night optics beneath his truck. He was cited for being a felon in possession of a firearm and the weapon was seized. Wood was convicted in state court of the charge and placed on probation.
As the investigation continued forensic examinations and genetic analyses of wildlife specimens taken from Wood’s residence revealed that the man possessed parts of at least 13 elk, 12 deer and 1 black bear.
Wood was indicted by a federal grand jury in Medford in May of 2019. He pleaded guilty to the Lacey Act charge and agreed to pay restitution to the NPS in August of 2020.