19-year-old becomes first poaching felon in Wyoming

July 31, 2012

Wyoming: Colton Lapp is the first person in Wyoming to have been convicted as a felon for poaching. On July 16, 2012, the 19-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of poaching for killing deer out of season. Legislation from 2011 and the fact that Lapp was a repeat offender allowed prosecutors to charge him with a felony.

Lapp is free on bond, but will not be able to hunt or fish in Wyoming, as well as 37 other states for the rest of his life. In addition, he must complete a boot camp program and probation. If he fails to complete these, he could end up in prison for multiple years. Scott Werbelow, a gam warden supervisor, stated, "I think that it is rare for folks to end up in prison for wildlife violations, and I think this sets the precedent that we take wildlife in Wyoming very seriously for chronic poachers."