DIXFIELD – After using a search warrant Sunday morning at a Dixfield man’s home, state game wardens arrested the man and summoned his wife on charges relating to last Wednesday’s poached moose in Byron.
Lawrence K. Knox, 43, of 31 Coolidge Road, was charged with illegal possession of moose out of season, hunting moose in a closed season, hunting without a license and illegal transportation of wild animals (moose).
He was also summoned for illegal possession of fish in violation of size, essentially, short trout, after wardens found and seized the fish in his freezer, said Warden Steve Allarie on Monday afternoon from Paris.
Knox’s wife, Victoria Taylor, 53, of the same address, was summoned for illegal transportation of wild animals (moose).
Knox was taken to Oxford County Jail in Paris and later released on $300 cash bail.
Allarie said Knox and Taylor would not be arraigned, however, until May in Rumford District Court, because the Warden Service must conduct DNA testing on the poached moose in Byron and the several pounds of moose meat found in Knox’s freezer.
Nine wardens executed the search warrant at 9 a.m. Sunday, collecting blood, hairs, forensic evidence and photographs.
“We also seized several pounds of moose meat and other forensic evidence related to the moose in Byron. We were there for two hours,” Allarie said.
He credited a Sun Journal story on Wednesday for helping to find the young bull moose’s alleged killer.
“That article paid off. The icing on the cake was that article. We rely on the citizens and Operation Game Thief, and we got a call” through that anonymous tip line, Allarie said.
The informant contacted Warden Shon Theriault, who handles the Byron District, and provided “credible information about the persons involved. Only someone involved would have known those details,” he said.
Last Tuesday, Allarie said someone shot and killed the 500- to 600-pound moose between 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 and early morning on Dec. 1. It was left in a pool of blood where it fell and meat from the animal’s flank was taken, he said.
“They took the whole quarter on two rear legs, 70 pounds. That’s a lot of meat,” Allarie said.
The poacher also sawed off one antler, which has yet to be recovered.
If convicted, Knox could be facing more than $2,000 in fines, minor jail time and loss of a hunting and fishing license for a year.
Additionally, wardens could legally seize vehicles and weapons used in the poaching incident, but, Allarie said, they haven’t decided to do that yet.
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