An anti-wolf activist accused of illegally killing a trophy bull elk last year could lose his Idaho hunting and fishing privileges for life.
Tony J. Mayer, a 59-year-old Twin Falls man and the founder of SaveElk.com, was apprised of that fact by Judge R. Ted Israel at his first court appearance Wednesday on a Blaine County felony hunting charge.
Israel sternly told Mayer that he is charged with "flagrant unlawful killing and/or possession of a trophy bull elk," a crime punishable in Idaho by up to five years in prison and a one-year to lifelong loss of hunting and fishing rights.
Mayer is also charged with three misdemeanor crimes: hunting without an elk tag, hunting without an archery permit and unlawful possession of protected wildlife. Israel told Mayer that each of those crimes is punishable by up to six months in jail and loss of hunting and fishing privileges for up to three years.
Jerome attorney John Lothspeich, who is defending Mayer, has described his client as a "lifelong dedicated hunter and fisherman."
Lothspeich has claimed Mayer has committed no "wrongdoing" and filed a written plea of not guilty on Mayer's behalf.
In a case investigated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Mayer is accused of killing the elk in the Alturas Lake area of northern Blaine County "on or about" Oct. 3, 2009, three days after the bow season ended in Unit 36 on Sept. 30.
A tall man with medium-length dark hair and a mustache, Mayer appeared at Wednesday's court hearing neatly dressed in a dark blue suit and a dark tie. He attempted, apparently, to keep his face covered from an Idaho Mountain Express photographer present in the courtroom.
Israel noticed the gesture and asked Mayer if he was having trouble hearing. Mayer said no, but continued to try to keep the right side of his face covered.
Lothspeich questioned the presence of news media in the courtroom, but Israel told him the newspaper had supplied the proper photography request and it had been approved in accordance with rules established by the Idaho Supreme Court.
"I don't believe they in any way have hindered the proceedings of this courtroom," Israel said. "I am not going to bar them."
Israel allowed Mayer to remain free on his own recognizance. His next court appearance, a preliminary hearing, was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Oct. 20.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
Tony Mayer, the founder of SaveElk.com, made his first court appearance Wednesday in Blaine County on a felony charge of illegally killing a trophy bull elk. Photo by David N. Seelig
