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WEST VALLEY CITY -- Five members of a West Valley family now face a list of felony charges in relation to a wildlife poaching ring.
Four men charged were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Authorities say a fifth person, a woman, planned to turn herself in some time Wednesday.
"I've been working in wildlife enforcement for 18 years now, and this is the largest volume of deer poaching that I've ever been involved with," said Law Enforcement Section Chief Mike Fowlks with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Fowlks said the DWR began its investigation a little over a year ago. Acting on a tip, they discovered some of the illegal kills went back as far as 1998. Charging documents state the group may be linked to the poaching of as many as 90 animals, mostly deer.
In charges filed in Third District Court Tuesday, prosecutors allege 47-year-old Gerald D. Jensen Sr., 43-year-old Angella D. Jensen, 45-year-old Robert L. Jensen, 22-year-old Gerald D. Jensen Jr., and 20-year-old Robert Tyler Jensen took part in the killing of at least a dozen deer.
Prosecutors charged the five with 19 felonies and one misdemeanor.
According to charging documents, officers served a search warrant at Gerald and Angella's West Valley City home in January and found numerous mounted trophy buck mule deer and antlers. In all, they seized 90 deer, four antelope and one elk.
Authorities say they were illegally taken, mostly for trophy value. In fact, some of those deer qualified, legally, as trophy deer, meaning their antlers measured at least 24 inches in width.
"These numbers that we're seeing in this case are probably the most egregious I've seen in 18 years, with regard to mule deer poaching," Fowlks said.
While serving separate search warrants, prosecutors say in charging documents they also discovered drug paraphernalia and a small marijuana grow inside a gun safe.
After the warrants were served, investigators claim that Gerald Jensen Sr. and Tyler Jensen made threatening calls to a woman they mistakenly believed had tipped off authorities.
Investigators seized antlers, mounted deer heads and photos as part of their case. Charging documents say the Jensens retrieved antlers using a method called "hack-a-rack:" Someone would kill a deer out of season and on winter range then return later to remove the antlers, leaving the meat to rot.
"There's a season date and licenses that are required, and this activity was occurring outside of the season dates generally and without licenses," Fowlks said.
Authorities say the investigation has gone on for more than a year. They say people should report poaching.
Fowlks said the operation left an impact on wildlife. "I think the biggest impact, though, is the theft from legitimate sportsmen who put in for their permits, and wait their turn and get their permits, and get them the right way and harvest them in season," he said.
Three of the five suspects were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday.
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Story compiled with contributions from Marc Giauque and Sandra Yi.
