Grays Harbor Superior Court Judge Katherine Svoboda imposed an 116-month prison term on a Grays Harbor County man on Friday, March 27, for the killing of at least five cow elk. The nearly ten-year sentence represents the longest incarceration for a big game offense in Washington state during the past decade. In addition to time behind bars, the court ordered the man to pay $10,000 in fines and surrender two firearms.
The man, a convicted felon, had previously been granted a mental health sentencing alternative in November 2025. He lost that placement after failing to report to his required treatment facility and evading the Department of Corrections. A warrant for his arrest was issued, leading to the resentencing hearing held last week.
He pleaded guilty to three charges: unlawful hunting of big game in the first degree, a Class C felony; unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree, a Class B felony; and wastage of wildlife, a gross misdemeanor. The 116-month sentence will be served concurrently across all three convictions.
Investigators from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police discovered at least five cow elk that had been shot with a high-powered rifle in Game Management Unit 658. The area was closed for harvest at the time of the incident. Wildlife officials noted that elk are critical to the regional ecosystem as native grazers that manage fuel loads and maintain habitats. Healthy elk populations also support rural economies through ecotourism and regulated hunting seasons. Conservationists have criticized such incidents, stating that spree-killings are often committed for the thrill of the hunt or as target practice, thereby depleting a communal resource.
The investigation broke ten months after the initial crime when a WDFW officer encountered the man near the original crime scene. The officer found him after he had cut open a gate to access the area illegally. Although legally barred from owning guns due to his felony record, the man was carrying two weapons. WDFW Police later confirmed that one of those firearms was the rifle used to kill the elk. Through interviews and further investigation, the officer established the man as the individual responsible for the killings.
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