Colorado guide sentenced for maiming wildlife

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A wildlife guide has been sentenced to 6 months home confinement, a $5,000 fine, 50 hours of community service and 3 years’ probation for illegally capturing and maiming mountain lions and bobcats to make hunts easier for clients.

Nicholaus Rodgers, of Shady Cove, Oregon, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits the interstate sale of wildlife taken in violation of state regulations.

Federal prosecutors say Rodgers and a co-conspirator trapped the cats near the Colorado-Utah border from 2007 to 2009 and released them when clients were nearby. Authorities say they sometimes shot the cats in the paws or legs or attached leg traps to hold them.

An attorney for Rodgers did not return a phone call on Thursday seeking comment.