Panguitch men plead guilty in poaching case

PANGUITCH — Two men accused in a poaching case in Garfield County pleaded guilty to several charges Thursday.

Gary L. Harp, 35, pleaded guilty to felony wanton destruction of protected wildlife and felony aiding and assisting in the wanton destruction of wildlife, court records show.

The co-defendant in the case, Gavin Smith, 19, pleaded guilty to felony aiding and assisting in the wanton destruction of protected wildlife, according to court records.

Harp and Smith also pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges of wanton destruction of wildlife.

Acting on a tip received on the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher hotline, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officers and Garfield County sheriff's deputies served a search warrant on a home and shed in Panguitch over Memorial Day weekend, according to the division.

After serving the warrant, the officers found the heads of eight mule-deer bucks, one mule-deer doe and two pronghorn bucks. The suspects in the case also admitted taking one more mule-deer buck and an additional mule-deer doe, making it one of the biggest poaching cases in southern Utah in recent memory, according to the division.

The tip was received just two days after the public learned about a poaching case involving 18 deer in central Utah.

According to court records, Harp was sentenced to serve six months in jail, and Smith was sentenced to 60 days in jail. They also will have to pay $18,000 jointly in restitution, as well as $2,500 in fines.

Harp faces revocation of hunting privileges for up to 48 years, and Smith faces revocation for up to 34 years, the division said in a news release.

—Ethan Thomas