Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

GREAT FALLS - A Great Falls man, who pleaded guilty to five counts of poaching, was sentenced to 80 days in jail, fined $4,575, ordered to pay $300 restitution and forfeited his hunting and fishing privileges for 10 years.

Sidney Gamble Jr., 59, was sentenced June 23 by Cascade County Justice of the Peace Kathleen Jensen after he pleaded guilty to hunting without a license, unlawful possession of a deer, and three counts of failure to validate a tag. A waste of game charge was dropped.

The actions took place over the course of the 2009 hunting season, says Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden Bryan Golie.

Acting on a tip about illegal hunting activity near the old Dearborn Inn in rural Cascade County, Golie and two other game wardens interviewed Gamble who admitted to several offenses including shooting from the road, trespassing, improperly validating tags and waste of game.

Gamble has been in trouble before for poaching. Back in November 2008, he was charged with an over limit of mule deer bucks and possession of unlawfully killed wildlife. For those offenses he was given a one year suspended sentence and fined $1,035.