In November 2023, a couple, Byron Lee Fitzpatrick and Shannon Lee Price, revealed to fellow passengers on a flight that they had illegally hunted a mountain lion and were carrying a green sea turtle skull in their carry-on. Unbeknownst to them, the passengers were wildlife officers. Following a conversation, the officers discovered the couple’s illegal activities and executed a search warrant at their home, finding additional unlawfully possessed wildlife. The couple reached a plea agreement, resulting in fines and one year of probation barring them from hunting. Their contraband was forfeited, along with that of Fitzpatrick’s uncle, Harry Vern Fitzpatrick.
During a flight to Sacramento in November 2023, a couple from California engaged in a conversation with other passengers about their pastimes. In particular, they recounted an incident where they had illegally hunted a mountain lion and discussed smuggling the skull of an endangered turtle in their carry-on luggage.
Unbeknownst to them, their fellow travelers were wildlife officers.
Just over a year later, on January 30, the couple, Byron Lee Fitzpatrick and Shannon Lee Price, reached a plea deal in Butte County, California, for violating fish and game regulations, according to a statement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Tuesday. Mr. Fitzpatrick received a fine of $1,865, while Ms. Price was fined $1,015, and they were each placed on one year of probation that prohibits them from hunting, the department stated.
While on the flight, the couple discussed their hunting experiences, seated just behind the two officers, who were not wearing uniforms, as noted by the wildlife department.
The four initiated a dialogue, during which the officers revealed their occupations to the couple, even suggesting they look up the officers online, according to Andrew Halverson, a spokesperson for the wildlife department’s law enforcement division. The couple joked about being unable to find any information about the officers online, and the conversation continued, Mr. Halverson added.
Mr. Fitzpatrick, 24, and Ms. Price, 28, informed the officers that a relative from the East Coast had given them a sea turtle skull that was packed in their carry-on luggage. They recounted a tale of hunting a mountain lion, a species that is specially protected as a nongame animal in California. They also showed the officers a video of a trophy room belonging to Mr. Fitzpatrick’s uncle, Harry Vern Fitzpatrick, which displayed stuffed mountain lions, wolves, and a wolverine.
The officers initially doubted that the couple could pass through security with a sea turtle skull in their carry-on, Mr. Halverson remarked, and requested to see it after disembarking the plane. The couple checked for any nearby Transportation Security Administration officers and then opened their bag to reveal the skull of a green sea turtle, a federally protected endangered species that it is illegal to possess and transport, according to the agency.
This discovery led the officers to believe it was likely that the couple had committed the other wildlife violations they discussed during the flight, Mr. Halverson stated.
The day following the flight, officers executed a search warrant at the couple’s residence in Chico, California, where they found Mr. Fitzpatrick and Ms. Price illegally processing a deer they had hunted that day. The deer season had ended, and the couple lacked the required tags, which California mandates in addition to an annual hunting license for hunting big game species.
Officers also discovered mountain lion claws and numerous taxidermied animals, including a ringtail cat and a barn owl, as well as an illegally hunted spike buck and several deer with tagging violations, as reported by the agency. Ringtail cats are a protected species in California, and mounted raptors, such as the barn owl, cannot be possessed without state and federal permits.
Officers also conducted a search at the home of Mr. Fitzpatrick’s uncle, Harry Vern Fitzpatrick, 64, in Napa County, California, where they uncovered two taxidermied mountain lions and one wolverine—both of which are fully protected species in California, illegal to hunt or possess.
Lawyers mentioned in court documents for Ms. Price and Byron Lee Fitzpatrick did not respond to requests for comments.
Byron Lee Fitzpatrick and Harry Vern Fitzpatrick also did not reply to requests for comments.
As part of a plea agreement with the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Fitzpatrick pleaded no contest to two violations of California fish and game codes. Ms. Price similarly pleaded no contest to a violation of a California fish and game code. In addition to state fines and probation, each was required to pay a $1,000 fine for violating federal wildlife regulations and laws.
In a separate plea agreement with the Napa County District Attorney’s Office, Harry Vern Fitzpatrick pleaded no contest to two counts of violating the California fish and game codes, was ordered to pay $605 in fines and restitution, and was placed on six months’ probation.
As part of the plea agreements, all contraband animals were forfeited by the defendants, the agency noted.