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A grand jury in Albuquerque has indicted two men and a Rio Rancho juvenile on several counts in connection with the illegal killing of five antelope on the King Ranch near Zia Pueblo on Feb. 10, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish said in a news release.
Michael Yarbrough, 21; Travis Miller, 18; and a 17-year-old male are accused of cutting a fence, illegally trespassing on the ranch and shooting two bucks and three does, cutting off the bucks’ heads and leaving five carcasses in a pile to rot, the release said.
There was no legal hunt occurring at the time, state game officials said.
The department’s investigation was helped by a concerned sportsman who found the dead antelope and a subsequent tip from Operation Game Thief, the agency’s toll-free poaching reporting line, the release said.
Officers were able to execute a search warrant at a Rio Rancho residence, which provided evidence leading to the grand jury indictment, game officials said.
The suspects face numerous fines, possible jail time and the loss of hunting privileges, according to the release.
