Lassen County man pleads guilty to charges in largest raptor poaching case in state history

A Lassen County man pleaded guilty to charges of poaching in excess in the state’s largest raptor poaching case in known history, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Richard Parker, 68, of Standish was charged with 90 days of jail time and a $75,000 fine after pleading guilty to poaching charges.

Wildlife officers received an anonymous tip in March 2018 from a person who said they witnessed Parker shooting a hawk in Standish, according to a news release from the department. While officers conducted surveillance, they found nine dead raptors on Parker’s property.

Officers served a search warrant at Parker’s 80-acre property and residence, where they found more than 150 carcasses of protected birds, raptors, hawks, owls and other wildlife, including bobcats and a taxidermied mountain lion. Rifle casings were also found on the property, according to the release.

The California Attorney General’s Office helped the California Department of Fish and Wildlife prosecute the case.

“Poaching is not a game, it’s a serious crime,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in the department news release Friday. “Richard Parker willfully and egregiously disregarded California law to kill protected wildlife, including hawks.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2019 at 4:14 PM.