Topeka — A western Kansas rancher who ran a guide service has paid a steep price for illegally taking hunters aloft in a plane to spot and chase deer, federal and state wildlife officials said.
Dwight Krebs, of Scott City, paid $15,000 in restitution immediately after his sentencing by U.S. District Judge Sam Crow on Tuesday. Krebs had also paid $89,000 in September for the return of a small plane confiscated from him last March.
The combined $104,000 penalty is the largest imposed to date in Kansas for wildlife-related crimes, said Kenny Kessler, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent.
Krebs, 51, is also prohibited from any hunting or shooting activity and must serve three years' supervised probation.
Indicted last March, Krebs pleaded guilty Aug. 3 to a single count of illegal use of an aircraft to harass or kill deer and geese, said Jim Cross, a spokesman for U.S. Atty. Eric Melgren.
According to the indictment, Krebs posted advertisements on the Internet offering his guide service to hunters for $2,500 apiece. Federal investigators said the operation involved the use of the airplane, motor vehicles and two-way radios to spot wildlife and exchange information on their locations.
Jim Jenkins, a hand on Krebs' ranch, assisted with the guiding business and was also prosecuted. His sentence included forfeiture of a hunting rifle, two months of home confinement and three years of supervised probation.
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