Hunting sting ends in three arrests
(10 comments; last comment posted Today 11:26 am) print | email this story
Staci Matlock | The New Mexican
December 16, 2004
Some Virginians like to hunt in New Mexico illegally, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The out-of-state hunters found Espa?ola guides Jeffrey Clem and Eric Garcia willing to overlook their lack of hunting licenses for the right price, the fish and wildlife service says.
And in Espa?ola's Michael Archuleta and Virginia's Wesley McGlothlin, they found two taxidermists willing to skirt the law by mounting the trophy heads of elk and other illegally harvested wildlife, according to a special agent with the federal agency.
Armed with federal warrants based on a year-long undercover investigation, federal fish-and-wildlife law enforcement and state police officers Wednesday morning raided Archuleta's Sierra Taxidermy shop at 1509 Paseo de O?ate in Espa?ola and arrested him.
Clem of Espa?ola and Eric Garcia of Hernandez also were arrested, according to state police Capt. Gerald Anderson. Garcia and Clem worked for Archuleta as guides with Mark V Guide Service, according to a 20-page affidavit filed by the fish-and-wildlife service in federal Magistrate Court. All three men were taken to the Bernalillo County Detention Facility for booking, according to police.
Warrants also were issued for McGlothlin of Amissville, Va., for mounting the allegedly ill-gotten heads.
The federal fish-and-wildlife service and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish cooperated in the investigation of the illegal hunts and mounted heads, including a trophy bull killed at the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
No one returned messages left at Archuleta's home and business Wednesday.
Larry Bell, deputy director of external affairs for the federal fish and wildlife service in Albuquerque, confirmed warrants were issued but declined to comment further. He said a news release would be issued today.
According to the affidavit filed by special agent Brian Lakes, a confidential informant in 2003 told him Clem's method of guiding hunting parties was to shoot an animal from a vehicle or while on foot, leave the carcass and return a few days later to cut off the rack and skin the animal.
Garcia stored the capes and heads at his house, according to the affidavit. Sierra Taxidermy helped send the heads and capes to McGlothlin in Virginia for mounting, according to the affidavit.
A state game and fish investigator found none of the hunters involved had valid 2003-04 hunting licenses.
Both Archuleta and Clem pleaded guilty in 2003 to a federal misdemeanor charge in Alaska of arranging to ship a moose carcass illegally in 1998 to the eastern United States. Both were fined and given two years' probation in April.
As of November, Archuleta's name still appeared on the list of registered New Mexico outfitters and guides with permits from the state Department of Game and Fish.
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Copyright 2004 Santa Fe New Mexican
Comment Form
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Reader comments contain the opinions of the readers alone. Any factual representations are made solely by the poster and have not been verified by The New Mexican. Approval times vary.
Comments
By Mary Ray (Submitted: 12/16/2004 11:26 am )
I'm surprised that people still don't realize the link between the way animals are treated and the way humans are treated. Typically lack of respect and indifference to one will also be exhibited to the other and working to stop this behavior towards one will also help stop it towards the other. It should not be an either/or proposition.
By G Martinez (Submitted: 12/16/2004 10:43 am )
Pamela you make good points but you should think before you speak as well. You may personally know these men; but are you with them when they are out guiding the hunters? Are you there every moment of their lives? You are correct "Innocent until Proven Guilty" As it states in the article it was a yearlong uncover investigation, there had to be something there for them to issue a warrant. Money should go to taking care of all the drug abuse problems that go on in NM and around the country. Even those these are "just" animals. There are laws created to protect them, as there are laws to protect its citizens. Just be careful cause you may wind up putting your foot in your mouth and chewing on the book instead.
By Pamela Lujan y Vigil (Submitted: 12/16/2004 9:42 am )
There are a lot of poachers out there however, it seems the poachers are the ones that are benefiting on accusing innocent people.
By Pamela Lujan y Vigil (Submitted: 12/16/2004 9:40 am )
I agree with Carlos, Northern New Mexico is infested with repeated sex offenders, child abusers and not to mention child abducters that tax dollars should be used instead of millions of dollars going towards animals.
Mr. Moore and Karen you forgot one important fact and that is "INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY'!!! The men have been accused of something that has not been proven. I happen to know the three men that have been accused and feel that they are not capable of doing such thing and know they take their jobs/sport very seriously. I feel that your comment "throw the book at them' is somewhat adolescent and unconstitutional.....in the future think before you speak. If these men prevail, in which I don't doubt they will you can get your book and chew on it!!!
By A. Romero (Submitted: 12/16/2004 9:20 am )
Yeah, C.J and A.C. we do need to spend this money on these animals. Poaching is still done year round in Northern New Mexico. We need to protect these animals from the low life poachers who think the laws do not apply to them.
By James Moore (Submitted: 12/16/2004 8:42 am )
I agree with Karen.
Also, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is not tasked with drug enforcement. The state police were only involved in serving the warrant. The Federal government spends close to $20 billion per year on drug enforcement and the figure has been increasing every year for the last 20 years. Although I agree that there are problems with drugs and failing schools.....I respectfully disagree that the right solution is to throw more money that way.
By ADAM CHACON (Submitted: 12/16/2004 8:08 am )
Very good point there Carlos. I agree with you 100%!!!!
By Jacob Waltz (Submitted: 12/16/2004 7:41 am )
So tell us, CJ, how much money was spent on this investigation? how much is spent each year on drug prevention in NM? how much is spent on the school system each year? Your claims are just conjecture without some facts to back them up.
By Karen Boyle (Submitted: 12/16/2004 6:57 am )
Throw the book at 'em.
By Carlos Julien (Submitted: 12/16/2004 6:25 am )
It is incredible that the amount of effort and money was spent on this by the government. If the government spent that amount of effort and money protecting the children from the drug problem in Northern New Mexico and improving the failing Northern N.M. school systems we most likely not have these kinds of stories. But I guess animals are more important than people.
(10 comments; last comment posted Today 11:26 am) print | email this story
Staci Matlock | The New Mexican
December 16, 2004
Some Virginians like to hunt in New Mexico illegally, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The out-of-state hunters found Espa?ola guides Jeffrey Clem and Eric Garcia willing to overlook their lack of hunting licenses for the right price, the fish and wildlife service says.
And in Espa?ola's Michael Archuleta and Virginia's Wesley McGlothlin, they found two taxidermists willing to skirt the law by mounting the trophy heads of elk and other illegally harvested wildlife, according to a special agent with the federal agency.
Armed with federal warrants based on a year-long undercover investigation, federal fish-and-wildlife law enforcement and state police officers Wednesday morning raided Archuleta's Sierra Taxidermy shop at 1509 Paseo de O?ate in Espa?ola and arrested him.
Clem of Espa?ola and Eric Garcia of Hernandez also were arrested, according to state police Capt. Gerald Anderson. Garcia and Clem worked for Archuleta as guides with Mark V Guide Service, according to a 20-page affidavit filed by the fish-and-wildlife service in federal Magistrate Court. All three men were taken to the Bernalillo County Detention Facility for booking, according to police.
Warrants also were issued for McGlothlin of Amissville, Va., for mounting the allegedly ill-gotten heads.
The federal fish-and-wildlife service and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish cooperated in the investigation of the illegal hunts and mounted heads, including a trophy bull killed at the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
No one returned messages left at Archuleta's home and business Wednesday.
Larry Bell, deputy director of external affairs for the federal fish and wildlife service in Albuquerque, confirmed warrants were issued but declined to comment further. He said a news release would be issued today.
According to the affidavit filed by special agent Brian Lakes, a confidential informant in 2003 told him Clem's method of guiding hunting parties was to shoot an animal from a vehicle or while on foot, leave the carcass and return a few days later to cut off the rack and skin the animal.
Garcia stored the capes and heads at his house, according to the affidavit. Sierra Taxidermy helped send the heads and capes to McGlothlin in Virginia for mounting, according to the affidavit.
A state game and fish investigator found none of the hunters involved had valid 2003-04 hunting licenses.
Both Archuleta and Clem pleaded guilty in 2003 to a federal misdemeanor charge in Alaska of arranging to ship a moose carcass illegally in 1998 to the eastern United States. Both were fined and given two years' probation in April.
As of November, Archuleta's name still appeared on the list of registered New Mexico outfitters and guides with permits from the state Department of Game and Fish.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!
Copyright 2004 Santa Fe New Mexican
Comment Form
By posting, you agree to abide by our Forum Rules.
Reader comments contain the opinions of the readers alone. Any factual representations are made solely by the poster and have not been verified by The New Mexican. Approval times vary.
Comments
By Mary Ray (Submitted: 12/16/2004 11:26 am )
I'm surprised that people still don't realize the link between the way animals are treated and the way humans are treated. Typically lack of respect and indifference to one will also be exhibited to the other and working to stop this behavior towards one will also help stop it towards the other. It should not be an either/or proposition.
By G Martinez (Submitted: 12/16/2004 10:43 am )
Pamela you make good points but you should think before you speak as well. You may personally know these men; but are you with them when they are out guiding the hunters? Are you there every moment of their lives? You are correct "Innocent until Proven Guilty" As it states in the article it was a yearlong uncover investigation, there had to be something there for them to issue a warrant. Money should go to taking care of all the drug abuse problems that go on in NM and around the country. Even those these are "just" animals. There are laws created to protect them, as there are laws to protect its citizens. Just be careful cause you may wind up putting your foot in your mouth and chewing on the book instead.
By Pamela Lujan y Vigil (Submitted: 12/16/2004 9:42 am )
There are a lot of poachers out there however, it seems the poachers are the ones that are benefiting on accusing innocent people.
By Pamela Lujan y Vigil (Submitted: 12/16/2004 9:40 am )
I agree with Carlos, Northern New Mexico is infested with repeated sex offenders, child abusers and not to mention child abducters that tax dollars should be used instead of millions of dollars going towards animals.
Mr. Moore and Karen you forgot one important fact and that is "INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY'!!! The men have been accused of something that has not been proven. I happen to know the three men that have been accused and feel that they are not capable of doing such thing and know they take their jobs/sport very seriously. I feel that your comment "throw the book at them' is somewhat adolescent and unconstitutional.....in the future think before you speak. If these men prevail, in which I don't doubt they will you can get your book and chew on it!!!
By A. Romero (Submitted: 12/16/2004 9:20 am )
Yeah, C.J and A.C. we do need to spend this money on these animals. Poaching is still done year round in Northern New Mexico. We need to protect these animals from the low life poachers who think the laws do not apply to them.
By James Moore (Submitted: 12/16/2004 8:42 am )
I agree with Karen.
Also, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is not tasked with drug enforcement. The state police were only involved in serving the warrant. The Federal government spends close to $20 billion per year on drug enforcement and the figure has been increasing every year for the last 20 years. Although I agree that there are problems with drugs and failing schools.....I respectfully disagree that the right solution is to throw more money that way.
By ADAM CHACON (Submitted: 12/16/2004 8:08 am )
Very good point there Carlos. I agree with you 100%!!!!
By Jacob Waltz (Submitted: 12/16/2004 7:41 am )
So tell us, CJ, how much money was spent on this investigation? how much is spent each year on drug prevention in NM? how much is spent on the school system each year? Your claims are just conjecture without some facts to back them up.
By Karen Boyle (Submitted: 12/16/2004 6:57 am )
Throw the book at 'em.
By Carlos Julien (Submitted: 12/16/2004 6:25 am )
It is incredible that the amount of effort and money was spent on this by the government. If the government spent that amount of effort and money protecting the children from the drug problem in Northern New Mexico and improving the failing Northern N.M. school systems we most likely not have these kinds of stories. But I guess animals are more important than people.
