Anchorage Daily News

One of the eight men accused of gunning down and wasting dozens of caribou on the tundra near Point Hope in July 2008 has decided to change his not guilty plea, according to court records.

Randy John Oktollik, 26, is facing charges of wanton waste and failure to salvage edible meat, both misdemeanors. According to court records, he will change his not guilty plea on those counts, though details of the change of plea -- including whether it is part of an agreement to reduce the charges or penalty -- were not immediately available.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Peterson with the state Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals confirmed the case is due for a change of plea next Wednesday afternoon but declined to comment on its details because of the pending case.

Reached by telephone Wednesday evening, Oktollik said he maintains his innocence but that he just wanted to put the case behind him. He said he still had to talk to his lawyer about the details of the plea.

"It wasn't that bad," he said of troopers' claims of dozens of rotting caribou left on the tundra. Oktollik said he left one caribou in the field because it appeared sickly, a fact he didn't notice until after he shot it.

"The fat, there was like a few bald spots on the fur, the skin," Oktollik said.

According to charges filed in court by prosecutors, Oktollik, in an interview with troopers, admitted killing two caribou with a .243-caliber rifle on July 4, 2008, when he and four other men were out looking for eggs and came across about 200 caribou along Suicide Trail. He admitted to troopers he left one to waste in the field because it was skinny and had yellow fat, the charges say.

Oktollik's attorney, Philip Shanahan, declined to discuss the details of the plea. He said he does not discuss pending cases and would not say whether the change of plea means his client is admitting guilt in the case.

Oktollik was one of eight men from two hunting parties charged with wanton waste and failing to salvage meat after Alaska Wildlife Troopers responding to a tip say they documented at least 37 caribou wasted at 25 kill sites stretched along the 40-mile Suicide Trail. Troopers have said more than that appeared to have been wasted but they could not be sure because of decomposition and scavenging.

In addition to Oktollik, the others charged with wanton waste, failure to salvage meat, or both are Point Hope residents Lazarus C. Killigvuk, 26; Roy Oktollik, 19; Brett Oktollik, 21; Koomalook M. Stone, 19; Chester W. Koonuk, 30; Aqquilluk Hank, 30; and Roy A. Miller Jr., 20.

All the men pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges against them, and the seven others are still scheduled to go to trial in Point Hope beginning Nov. 30. If convicted, they would face a mandatory minimum of seven days in jail and a fine of at least $2,500 on the wanton waste charges. The maximum penalty is a year in jail.

Local and regional leaders have stepped in to support the men, saying the charges constitute an attack on Natives' traditional subsistence rights. The North Slope Borough put up $56,000 to pay for the legal defense of the men. At the time, Mayor Edward Itta said he felt the borough should support the men because it is not in the best interest of villagers for hunters to bring home sick animals.

Several of the hunters have told investigators and a government informant they left some caribou behind because of suspected disease, problems transporting them home, or, in one case, because they "shot it too much," according to the charges against them.

Point Hope leaders, who launched their own investigation after learning of the allegations, have said they were unable to find dozens of wasted animals and have disputed the number of corpses left on the tundra was as high as troopers claimed.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

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