3 men who pleaded guilty to poaching bobcats in New Hampshire had ties to law enforcement
By Kendra Broddus
Click here for updates on this story
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) — Three men who pleaded guilty to poaching more than 40 bobcats and exporting them to Canada had ties to New Hampshire law enforcement.
At one point, Randy Inman, Sherwood Dubrey Jr., and Sherwood Dubrey Sr. all worked for the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game Col. Kevin Jordan.
“The thing that bothered me the most, frankly, these were people involved in law enforcement. That disturbed me,” Jordan said.
Jordan said Inman and Sherwood Dubrey Jr. made a competition out of how many animals they could kill by setting out bait piles on their property and state land.
He said the “competition” went on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it wasn’t just bobcats that were killed.
“Any animal that came in, they would shoot it. They would take it,” Jordan said.
Their competition led to self-incrimination in the form of text messages and videos that were sent back and forth.
“We had video surveillance from their scopes that they were using,” Jordan said. “We were able to recover that with search warrants. So, you’re able to see with positive proof who was doing the shooting and what animal was shot.”
Jordan said poaching happens more than people might think in New Hampshire, and not just in the North Country.
“This is happening statewide,” Jordan said. “I’m very happy to say that I think we have a really good handle on it. I think we’re doing a great job hunting it down, prosecuting it and stopping it.”
Jim Morse, president of the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, said cases like such as this one are discouraging, but other sportsmen and women will step up to the task of doing what is right.
“The sportsmen are the eyes out there in the wilderness,” Morse said. “Law enforcement can’t be everywhere, every day, every minute. So, the good sports fans out there will also help fight the battle.”
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.