Louisiana’s Operation Game Thief, Inc. Issues Over $6,500 in Rewards
OutdoorHub 10.13.11
Louisiana Operation Game Thief, Inc. (LOGT), a Louisiana wildlife crime-stoppers program, awarded $6,500 to diligent citizens statewide at their quarterly meeting on Oct. 5 in Mansura.
The group approved and dispensed cash reward amounts for tipsters who reported wildlife violations that led to 26 subjects being apprehended in wildlife cases. There were a total of 14 cases presented and 50 offenses associated with those cases.
Louisiana Department Wildlife Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement LOGT Coordinator Sgt. Will Roberts provided LOGT members with information on each case and a recommendation for reward amounts.
“We depend on Operation Game Thief and these public tips to help break a lot of cases that might have otherwise gone unsolved,” Roberts said. “Perfect examples of the public helping us get convictions are in the recent black bear and bald eagle cases. The public contributed information that led to guilty pleas in both instances.”
LOGT awarded the two black bear tipsters a total of $800 and the bald eagle informant the maximum reward of $1,000. Cory Ronsonet, 39, of New Iberia pleaded guilty for illegally taking a Louisiana black bear in federal court on Aug. 17. Jeffrey Miles, 22, of West Monroe, pleaded guilty for violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in federal court on Sept. 19 for shooting a bald eagle.
Anyone wishing to report wildlife or fisheries violations should anonymously call LDWF’s 24-hour toll free Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511 or utilize LDWF’s new tip411 program. To use the tip411 program, citizens can anonymously text LADWF and their tip to 847411 or download the “LADWF Tips” iPhone app from the Apple iTunes store free of charge. CitizenObserver, the tip411 provider, uses technology that removes all identifying information before LDWF receives the text so that LDWF cannot identify the sender.
LOGT was instituted in 1984 and provides cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of violators of fish and wildlife regulations. Funds are raised through private donations, court directed contributions and through contributions from cooperative endeavor agreements with organizations such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and Quality Deer Management Association.
To make a donation to the LOGT that can be used for cash rewards, please contact Sgt. Will Roberts at wroberts@wlf.la.gov.
LOGT meets quarterly throughout the year to review cases and dispense rewards.
For more information, contact Adam Einck at aeinck@wlf.la.gov.
