Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that a grand jury has indicted 14 people for multiple crimes related to poaching wildlife.
The 30-count indictment filed in Coconino County Superior Court Thursday accuses them of conspiracy, illegal enterprise, theft and animal cruelty related to wildlife protected under state law.
The defendants include:
- Bu Reh
- Joseph Hee
- Neh Reh
- Nga Reh
- Pray Reh
- Ree Reh
- Simon C. Zam
- Tee Reh
- Ti Reh
- Young Bal Cangmah
The names of four additional defendants are redacted in court documents. It's not clear why.
Prosecutors say the group illegally hunted more than $200,000 worth of wild game across Yavapai, Coconino and Maricopa counties from 2018 to 2021. This included bighorn sheep, elk, pronghorn and turkey. Court documents detail claims against two defendants who allegedly killed a deer by smashing its head with a rock.
The legal action comes as officials continue to investigate the death of a federally protected Mexican Gray Wolf found near Flagstaff last month, as well as several deer killed in Coconino County over the summer.
