January 5, 2012
By Rick Bella, OregonLive.com
A West Linn-area man was fined $12,000 and barred from hunting
anywhere worldwide for two years after hunting elk without a license in
Wyoming.
James M. Dovenberg, 68, a wood-products executive who lives southwest
of West Linn, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Casper, Wyo., to
aiding and abetting in the trafficking of illegal wildlife. Magistrate
Judge R. Michael Shickich also placed Dovenberg on probation for three
years.
A co-defendant in the case, Jon R. Gleason, 70, of Custer, Wash.,
pleaded guilty to trafficking of illegal wildlife. He was ordered to pay
$8,500 and must surrender a mounted trophy bull elk.
Both convictions are misdemeanors under federal code.
Dovenberg founded Greenwood Products Inc. in 1972, selling the
company in 2003. He remains affiliated with the successor company,
Wilsonville-based GW Industries, which manufactures custom plywood and
fiberglass reinforced panels used in a variety of products.
According to court records, Dovenberg paid for a hunt he made with
Gleason in October 2005 through Big Horn Adventure Outfitters, guides
headquartered near Ten Sleep, Wyo. Neither Dovenberg nor Gleason had a
Wyoming hunting license, though Gleason killed a large bull elk.
The case follows a related felony conviction last July for James S.
Robinson, 61, of West Linn. Robinson, a real estate developer, was fined
$20,000 and was ordered to pay an additional $15,000 in restitution to
Wyoming wildlife officers in Wyoming. Court records indicate Robinson
killed a trophy bull elk when he had a legal tag only to kill a cow.
Wyoming officials began investigating the hunts after receiving a tip
from a concerned citizen. The cases fell under federal jurisdiction when
mounted heads, antlers and game meat from the illegal hunts were
transported across state lines.
No one from Big Horn Adventure Outfitters has been charged.
Mike Ehlebracht, supervisor of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department's
investigative unit, said he expected additional related cases would be
brought to court, but he declined to elaborate.
"There still are pending cases," Ehlebracht said. "This isn't over."
