Offer made in poaching incidents

SANDPOINT — A pretrial settlement offer is being made in the case of a Rathdrum man accused of poaching two whitetail deer and leaving their carcasses to waste.

Ryder D. Mervin is charged with two counts of taking big game during a closed season and two counts of leaving big game to waste, both of which are misdemeanors.

The Idaho Department of Fish & Game learned of the poaching from a tip to the Citizens Against Poaching hotline, which allows people to anonymously report fish and game violations, court records indicate.

Mervin, 19, is accused of shooting one whitetail doe with a Glock pistol and another with a shotgun on March 6, according to a conservation officer’s report.

The deer were among a herd of 50 deer that were feeding on a logging slash pile in the 400 block of Peninsula Road near Priest River.

Mervin is accused of shooting the deer from the front seat of his vehicle, by shooting through the passenger side of the vehicle.

When confronted by the conservation officer, Mervin said he only meant to scare the animals and boasted that he is an accurate shot. When pressed about changing details in his account, Mervin reluctantly admitted to shooting the deer, the report said.

A pretrial settlement agreement offered in the case proposes concurrent sentences and $1,200 in damages.

The offer recommends four days of incarceration or time on the sheriff’s labor program due to a lack of prior wildlife violations, according to court documents. The state also does not oppose a withheld judgment, which could see the convictions removed from his record upon successful completion of court-ordered obligations.

An arraignment hearing is set for July 6.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.