The Division of Wildlife Resources is telling the story of a Uintah Basin couple convicted of poaching, sending a clear message that poaching is taken seriously in the state of Utah. A DWR officer in Roosevelt received a tip on the poacher hotline back in 2016 that Kenneth Swenson, Jr. was poaching cow elk and pheasants in Duchesne County. The officer quickly confirmed that Swenson was a convicted felon that should not be in possession of firearms. He also confirmed that Swenson did not have a valid hunting license. DWR joined with local law enforcement agencies who were also searching for Swenson for drug dealing and stealing. “As the case unfolded,” explains the DWR, “it became apparent that Swenson had killed more than cow elk. DWR officers discovered that he had killed a trophy bull…[and] assisted his 12-year-old son and 15-year-old stepson in killing two trophy bull elk…He also killed two buck deer in the Book Cliffs limited-entry unit in Uintah County and assisted his wife, Marie Swenson, in killing a large buck in the same area.” All this was done without legal permits. In December 2016, Swenson was pulled over and was in possession of guns and drugs. He was interviewed by a DWR investigator and admitted to the poaching incidents. His wife also admitted to killing the large buck deer. Having gathered enough evidence, DWR officers obtained search warrants on buildings, vehicles and devices, producing evidence and nearly 50 firearms, many of which were stolen. In December 2017, Swenson pleaded guilty in Duchesne County to two counts of felony Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife. He was ordered to pay $16,000 dollars to the Help Stop Poaching fund and sentenced to up to 5 years in prison for each charge, as well as losing his hunting privileges for 28 years. His wife Marie Swenson pleaded guilty in Uintah County this year to one count of Misdemeanor Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife and was ordered to pay $400 dollars to the Help Stop Poaching Fund, losing her hunting privileges for 3 years. Kenneth Swenson is currently in federal prison in Oregon.
