Game Violation Sentencing, April 26

On April 24, 2017, 53 year old Jeffrey Allan McCRAVEN of Lebanon, was found guilty in a Linn County Court of one count of Taking, Angling, Hunting, or Trapping in Violation of Wildlife Law or Rule, a Class A Violation. Subject to the guilty verdict, McCRAVEN was required to: -Forfeiture of the elk meat and antlers; Ordered by the court to be released to the victim. -Forfeiture of Bow and Arrow seized during investigation. -Pay $15,000 in restitution to ODFW. -Pay $435 for the violation of Take/Possession of Bull Elk. -Pay $279.23 for meat processing. -Pay $500 to the OHA TIP fund. -Hunting privileges suspended for a period of 3 years. The charges stemmed from an investigation by the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division Mid-Valley Team, which concluded McCRAVEN engaged in the unlawful take of a trophy 6×6 bull elk in East Linn County on September 11th, 2016. The investigation revealed that the bull elk was legally shot and mortally wounded by the victim who is an acquaintance of McCRAVEN. A search party, which included McCRAVEN, could not locate the bull that day. The following morning, McCRAVEN located the expired elk and he shoved and shot arrows into the bull to make it appear as if he had lawfully harvested the bull. McCRAVEN then validated his archery elk tag, and then tried to convince others that he killed it.