People get in trouble for flouting hunting and fishing laws in Alaska all the time. But this case came with at least one unusual twist.
Jack Vincent Dickerson, 35, illegally killed a female brown bear on Oct. 1, 2009, in Game Management Unit 9 on the Alaska Peninsula, prosecutors say. The skull was delivered to his Spring Hill home. He paid a taxidermist to make the hide into a rug.
But after the hunt, still using the false identity, Dickerson complained to Cabela's Outdoor Adventures about the quality of the hunt.
He'd wanted a 10-foot trophy male instead, he said. In order to get his money back, Dickerson then told his credit card company that the charges for the hunt had been made by someone else.
Dickerson pleaded guilty and was sentenced Thursday to pay $50,000 for one felony count of violating the Lacey Act and felony identity theft. He must also pay $15,150 in restitution to Cabela's Inc. and $1,300 in restitution to the state of Alaska, the U.S. Attorney's office says.
Dickerson had used his friend's name to apply online for a hunting license and bear tag because he previously had killed a bear in GMU 9 under his own name and was not eligible for another hunt until 2012, according to a grand jury indictment.
As part of his sentence, Dickerson will have to give up his .416 Ruger hunting rifle, plus the rug made from the bear he shot it with.
Call Kyle Hopkins at 257-4334 or email khopkins@adn.com. Twitter updates: twitter.com/adnvillage.
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