A 47-year-old Montana man pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of an illegally killed deer, a gross misdemeanor, and was sentenced June 6 in District Court in Eureka.

Russell A. Nolen entered the plea and was ordered by the judge to pay a $2,000 fine, a civil penalty of $2,500 and contribute $2,500 to the Operation Game Thief (OGT) Citizens Board. He also forfeited a rifle used in the crime, was sentenced to 48 hours in jail, and has lost all hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for five years.

“This was a real group effort in coordination with the states where Nolen actually lived,” said James Herndon, game warden captain and the head of OGT. “The district attorney, other agencies and everyone involved in the case really took this case seriously and worked diligently to gather evidence for prosecution.”

Nolen shot a deer illegally in 2003 in Eureka County just east of Battle Mountain. Nolen was an out-of-state resident at the time, living near Chico, Calif., but applied for a resident license and tags. Nolen was facing several felony and gross misdemeanor charges for falsifying tag information and other crimes he committed. The plea allowed the State to close the case.

This case was only possible with help from concerned citizens, said Herndon. Game wardens encourage anyone with information on wildlife crime to report it to OGT at (800) 992-3030. OGT is a program administered by NDOW that collects information on wildlife crime and pays rewards to those who provide the tips. Callers to the OGT hotline can receive rewards and will remain anonymous.