A group of men have been convicted in a sprawling poaching case in The Granite State. According to a New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFGD) press release, the recent convictions are the result of “Operation Night Cat,” a multi-agency investigation that dates back several years.
In December, 2022, the NHFGD received information about illegal hunting activities in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. Conservation officers and the Gilmanton Police Department soon requested and executed a search warrant on the cell camera and cellphone of Thomas Kelley, gaining potentially incriminating evidence on him and several other individuals.
On January 12, 2023, officers executed additional search warrants, including one for Kelley, as well as two other men. “Multiple firearms with video recording scopes and infrared lights attached, archery equipment, electronic devices, wildlife pelts, and mounts were seized during the search warrants, “explained the NHFGD. “While reviewing the digital evidence collected on those three warrants, two more suspects were identified regarding wildlife violations committed in New Hampshire.”
The resulting cases involved several suspects, including one who lived in Massachusetts, in different jurisdictions and resulted in lengthy but successful persecutions. Kelley pled guilty to 7 violations, including Night Hunting, Hunting under Suspension, Illegal Baiting of Wildlife, and Illegal Baiting of Black Bear. He forfeited a .22 rifle with a video-recording scope and infrared light, as well as a bobcat mount. He was fined nearly $5,000 and banned from hunting for 3 ½ years.
The four other men— Sherwood Dubrey, Randy Inman, Jonathan Carroca, and Gerald Williams—also received hefty fines and substantial hunting and trapping bans for similar behavior. Notably, Inman also faces a suspended 12-month prison sentence for the Obstruction of Governmental Administration, a Class A misdemeanor.
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Officials say the massive bust of the poaching ring may yet result in further persecutions of individuals in other states. “This investigation also identified additional suspects with wildlife violations in other states. These individuals are facing charges in the respective states where the violation(s) occurred,’ said the NHGFD. “This was one of New Hampshire’s largest poaching cases in recent times. The NHGFD would like to thank all local, State, and Federal agencies that assisted with this case.”
