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A Vermont man who is a habitual committer of fish and wildlife crimes was given what many believe to be a light sentence after pleading no contest to five charges relating to a poaching incident in which he, his son and two minors were caught in a sting operation.
Carl Sanborn, convicted of a fish and wildlife crime for the 25th time dating to 1993, was sentenced to two years in prison with all but 30 days suspended. He was also ordered to pay $850 in fines.
For previous crimes, Sanborn, 49, of Barnet, had been sentenced to 81 days and fined $6,800.
Sanborn's 21-year-old son Jonathan was also charged and is scheduled for trial in September. He faces more than two years in prison and $8,000 in fines for six counts, including allegedly shooting at a deer decoy.
On the night of last Oct. 21, Vermont State Game Wardens conducted a sting operation in an area of Danville that has a long history of poaching activity. A deer decoy was used in the operation.
A shot from a bow was fired at the deer decoy and a car registered to Carl Sanborn sped away from the scene with game wardens in pursuit. During the high-speed chase, a bow and rangefinder were tossed from the vehicle and later recovered by wardens.
The driver of the convertible car was a 16-year-old who was charged as a juvenile with eight counts and has since completed a juvenile diversion program. A 13-year-old was also in the car but not charged. Neither were identified.
Those commenting on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Facebook page were virtually unanimous in their opinion that the sentence was too lenient.
"Another slap on the wrist," one wrote. "The court system in vt [stinks] and they wonder why the same losers keep breaking the law."
Another wrote, "Slap on the hand considering his propensity for violating laws. If he's violating fish and game laws, what other crimes do you suppose he is committing, besides being a bad influence on minors. The court system missed their chance on this one. Fail."
And yet another: "Way to easy on this loser!…The judge should be fired!"
The bow, rangefinder and light that were confiscated might be forfeited because of their use in the crime, and all three who were charged could lose their hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for three years.
I just retired after 29 years in law enforcement, and I've seen this first hand all the way from shop lifting to felony theft .... most get a slap on the wrist and laugh at the cops/prosecutors/judges all the way home.
