Missouri men get jail time for poaching bighorn sheep
RAWLINS, Wyo. – Two Missouri men were given jail time and ordered to pay more than $14,000 in restitution for illegally shooting two bighorn sheep in the Platte Valley Wilderness.
Gary Klemp, 51, of Doe Run, Mo., and Stephen Hennrich, 48, of Farmington, Mo., each pleaded guilty to shooting bighorn sheep without a license and allowing the sheep to go to waste.
They were sentenced Wednesday to 180 days in jail, with all but 56 days suspended, and were ordered to pay $14,174 in restitution.
The men also lost their hunting privileges for 10 years and must perform community service.
“You are not bad men, but you have committed a heinous act,” Circuit Judge Wade Waldrip said.
Prosecutors said the men shot the two sheep south of Riverside in late September. They were arrested after witnesses reported the poaching.
“It started off as a simple walk to the river, and it ended up being something we hadn’t planned for,” Klemp said. “It’s a bad deed, and I’m guilty of it.”
The sentence was less severe than prosecutors recommended. County Attorney David Clark advocated for 60 days in jail, the loss of hunting privileges for life, $15,000 in restitution and $5,000 in fines.
