Crook County arrest ends 25-year wildlife case

SUNDANCE (WNE) — An Alabama man has been sentenced in a decades-old wildlife case after being arrested during a traffic stop in Crook County.

Kenny Craig is a former Lysite, Wyoming resident who was arrested by Wyoming Highway Patrol on a bench warrant that was originally issued in February, 2000 after he failed to appear in court for multiple hunting violations.

Craig was convicted on June 25, 2024 in Fremont County Circuit Court for the original crimes he committed during the 1998 hunting season, according to Wyoming Game & Fish.

In 1998, Craig illegally killed a five-by-five buck mule deer near Riverton in a limited quota area with a general deer license that was not valid for the hunt area. He allegedly failed to tag the buck and later used his brother’s limited quota license to validate the animal illegally.

He also allegedly illegally purchased a resident deer and elk license before meeting the Wyoming residency requirement, having only lived in the state for three months.

In addition, he failed to complete the mandatory hunter education course.

He pleaded no contest to a count of taking a deer without a license and was sentenced to pay a $410 fine and $1000 in restitution and given a three-year suspension of his hunting privileges.

The two game wardens who began investigating the case in 1999 have now retired.

After the wardens’ investigation, four must-appear citations were issued and two violations were pending. However, Craig failed to appear and fled to Alabama.

He remained outside Wyoming until his recent arrest.

“There is no statute of limitations for wildlife crimes in Wyoming,” said Lander Region Wildlife Supervisor Jason Hunter. “Cases like these send a clear message: wildlife crimes will not be ignored, no matter how much time has passed.”