While Rep. Josh Heintzeman would like to throw the book at criminal offenders, he's not much into raising penalties on game-hogs or egregious poachers.
Bluestem draws this conclusion after learning of a 2016 vote in the Environment and Natural Resources committee and reading Cory Zurowski's story, The DNR's biggest illegal trapping case ever only yields a suspended sentence, in Thursday's online version of City Pages:
Kottom would be charged [in 2002/3] with six crimes, including possession of prohibited wild animals. He was convicted of three. The harshest of his punishment, according to state records, was two years of supervised probation.
Despite the convictions, Kottom would appeal, arguing, "that the state failed to authenticate the [videotape] evidence."
He'd lose.
Kottom would be convicted of possession of a mounted Canada lynx, a threatened species, the next year. He'd be convicted of failure to check traps daily in 2013.
Kottom will again be in court come late July.
His most recent run-in with wildlife enforcement stems from what the DNR has called one of the biggest illegal trapping operations its ever encountered. . . .
Kottom and Marana were both slapped with the same four charges, the most serious of which was illegally taking or possessing otter, fisher, wolverine, or pine marten, a gross misdemeanor.
Marana's plea deal from earlier this week means he admitted guilt to all four, but won't have to do time. His 120-day jail sentence will be stayed in lieu of two year's probation. The 70-year-old's trapping rights will be revoked for one year.
The 68-year-old Kottom is undoubtedly hoping for similar treatment in St. Louis County District Court on July 27.
What does Heintzeman think of this? City Pages reports:
Rep. Josh Heintzeman (R-Nisswa), serves as vice-chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee. He believes Marana's admission of guilt to one petty, two misdemeanors, and one gross, are commensurate with his crimes.
What Heintzeman is not supportive of is when criminals like Marana and Kottom escape the full punitive weight of the law.
"My feeling is, if you break the law, you should receive the punishment it says you're supposed to get," he says. "I think what this shows is Minnesota has some real problems in its sentencing guidelines when it comes to cases like these — and many others as well, I would argue."
Despite the repeat offenses on the part of folks like Kottom, or the scale of the crime, Heintzeman is on record with this opinion. As the screenshot at the top of the post shows, he voted against an amendment in committee to the 2016 fish and game bill that would have raised penalties for the most serious game violations.
Like this one.
On Planet Heintzeman, increased penalties aren't for people who steal wildlife in epic proportion. Nope: greater penalties are for those people who protest the deaths of their fellow citizens. Got it.
Screengrab: Heintzeman doesn't want severe penalties for even the most egregious game overlimits. Nope: stiffer sentences are for protesters.
For more on Heintzeman's deep thinking about natural resources, see our posts Brainerd Dispatch LTE: Outdoorsman not voting for Heintzeman after #mnleg raids Legacy funds and MN rep says lead is a-okay because it's natural; or, poisoning is life on Planet Josh Heintzeman.
Please help support Bluestem Prairie
It's summer, time for another appeal to our readers for support. If you value Bluestem's distinctive discussion of Minnesota politics from a Greater Minnesota progressive prospective, please consider donating to our summer fundraiser.
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 313 Park Street, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.
Comments