After years of investigating, Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) wardens are holding two poachers accountable for their actions.
At the end of 2018, game wardens were tipped off to the illegal killing of a doe antelope near Lund in White Pine county. Investigators charged the crime to 22-year-old Garett Higbee of Alamo. According to investigators, Higbee was also tied to the killing of a bull elk in Aug. 2018.
The investigators found proof that another man from the same area was also poaching wildlife. Jordan Cryts, 25, was convicted of illegally killing two mule deer near Hiko.
Both men were tried in Lincoln County and found guilty. Higbee’s punishment for the gross misdemeanor (the antelope) and felony (the elk) consists of 90 days in the White Pine county jail and $14,000 in penalties. NDOW stated that following his time in White Pine, Higbee will also be charged in Lincoln County with the death of a mule deer.
Cryts will spend 14 days in a Lincoln County jail for his gross misdemeanor and was fined $5,000.
He noted, “It’s pretty clear that judges Steve Dobrescu and Gary Fairman of the Seventh Judicial District Court (Lincoln County), along with the district attorney offices for both White Pine and Lincoln, are sending a message that these crimes are going to be met with severe penalties.”
To report wildlife crime, sportsmen and members of the public can call the Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline at (800) 992-3030 or use the new NDOW Tip app. The NDOW Tip app provides citizens the ability to submit anonymous tips, photos via text messaging.
The App is available for download for free via the Google Play Store, the iTunes App Store or by visiting the agency’s website at www.ndow.org.