Led by their alleged fearless leader, a group of California poachers has been brought down after what is believed to have been years of unlawful activity.
Believed to be the leader of the group that is now facing conspiracy charges for poaching dozens of deer is 37-year-old Bradley Chilton. Over the course of several months in 2023, Chilton is believed to have headed up a group of residential poachers. Using the cover of night, Chilton and his accomplices would roam city streets with bows and rifles in search of deer.
According to Nevada County court documents, the group would poach the animals and then sell valuable parts of animals such as hides and antlers to willing buyers. The group also reportedly conspired to exchange and falsify hunting tags and permits.
District Attorney Jesse Wilson has since brought several hunting charges against the group including the illegal use of flashlights or car headlights to aid in spotting and targeting the animals.
Chilton was detained after trying to escape police in a vehicle, court documents revealed. The other five defendants include Travis Bort, 37; Trevor Martini, 33; James Brasier, 28; Jon Pasadava, 30; and Mikayla Pasadava, 27.
A seventh defendant, Danielle Champeau, 40, also faces a felony charge for trying to help Chilton evade police.
In addition to his wildlife crimes, Chilton is facing additional felony charges of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of a 7mm Ruger Bolt action rifle, a 20-gauge Mossberg pump action shotgun, and a 12-gauge Benelli semi-automatic shotgun.
In what is shaking up to be one of California’s largest deer poaching cases, it remains unclear as to exactly how many deer were poached by the group.
“These charges relate to anything but hunting,” Patrick Foy, captain of the California Fish and Wildlife Department’s legal division, said. “This is the type of activity that’s well within the definition of poaching.”
