The hotel tycoon, family members and associates got game citations in
January in Wallowa County
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
RICHARD COCKLE
ENTERPRISE -- Wallowa County's prosecutor filed formal charges Monday
against hotel magnate Mark Hemstreet and a group of family friends on a
string of game citations, including allegedly killing elk and black bear
illegally.
Oregon State Police said the alleged violations occurred last fall on
Hemstreet's sprawling Shilo Ranch between the northeastern Oregon towns of
Wallowa and Troy.
Named in addition to Hemstreet, 54, the founder or Shilo Inns, were: Greg
Clapper, 54, a Republican strategist and media campaigner and a longtime
friend of Hemstreet's; Hemstreet's wife, Shannon; his daughter, Staci
McDonald; his son, Brian Hemstreet; an associate, David Forni; and Gordon L.
Caudle of Hillsboro.
They are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Wallowa County Circuit
Court in Enterprise, said District Attorney Dan Ousley.
The amended complaints were unchanged from citations by Oregon State
Police issued Jan. 11 after a two-month investigation, Ousley said.
Hemstreet's attorney, Rahn Hostetter of Enterprise, stood by his earlier
assertion that many of the accusations in the original affidavit describing
the investigation were untrue. He said state police made the charges "for
a headline."
Mark Hemstreet is accused of 11 violations including four counts of
possessing resident hunting licenses that were falsely applied for, an
apparent suggestion that he isn't a legal resident of Oregon. State police
contend he's lived in California for the past five years.
Hemstreet also is charged with failing to validate an elk tag, knowingly
loaning a big-game tag, unlawfully killing a bull elk without a valid tag,
unlawfully borrowing an elk tag, and illegally aiding in the killing of a
bull elk.
Shannon Hemstreet was charged with five counts of having a resident
hunting license that was falsely applied for, unlawfully killing a bull elk,
and loaning a bull elk tag and black bear tags to another hunter.
Brian Hemstreet was charged with unlawfully killing a black bear,
illegally borrowing a big-game tag, taking a bull elk without a valid tag,
and unlawfully possessing an elk.
Forni was charged with two counts of loaning bull elk tags to another
hunter and a count of removing physical evidence. Clapper was charged with
unlawfully possessing an elk, borrowing a big-game tag, failing to validate
an elk tag, and exceeding the bag limit of bull elk.
Caudle was charged with borrowing an elk tag, two counts of killing a
bull elk without a valid tag, and possession of an elk tag belonging to
another hunter.
Staci McDonald was cited on allegedly loaning a game tag to another
hunter.
Richard Cockle: 541-963-8890;
rcockle@ucinet.com
Copyright 2005 Oregon Live. All Rights Reserved.
