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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1999)
Law claws back at bear killer In a landmark case, a Brownsville man is convicted of racketeering By Sara Jarrett Oregon Daily Emerald Raymond Edward Hillsman, a 48-year-old Brownsville resident, could face up to 20 years in prison and/or pay up to $300,000 for killing and selling body parts of black bears, bobcats and other big game. A jury convicted Hillsman of racketeering, a class-A felony, and unlawful hunting and pursuing of black bear us ing dogs, a class-A misde meanor, on June 17. His sen tencing is scheduled for September 13 at 11 a.m in Dou glas County Circuit Court. Peter Cogswell, a spokesperson % for the Oregon Departm ent of Jus tice, was unable to disclose the exact sentence recommendation that will be made, but it will defi nitely ask for jail time in lieu of a fine, he said. Hillsman is considered a key figure in an evidently well-orga nized group of people that “com munically harvested bears for personal gain,” said Capt. Lind say Ball, Director of the Oregon State Police’s Fish & Wildlife Di vision. A two-year investigation, made possible by complaints from pri vate citizens, led to the execution of 16 search warrants resulting in the recovery of 28 bear gall blad ders, four complete bear heads and hides, numerous bobcat hides and pounds of big-game meat. The extrications took place at 19 residencies and two busi nesses in Linn, Benton, Marion, Lincoln and Lane Counties on May 4, 1998, according to Greg Hastings of the Oregon State Po lice. An overseas demand for the believed medicinal qualities of the gall bladders is the rumored impetus for Hillsman’s collection of that body part, Cogswell said. The Oregon State Police predict the market for bear gall bladders ranges between $200 and $600, depending on each individual size. The amount of bears that were actually poached “is still yet to be known,” Ball said. The police assume other bear parts were sought after but think most of the bodies were left to waste. Hillsman is the first Oregonian to be convicted of racketeering based on multiple violations of Oregon’s wildlife laws. Wildlife offenses became grounds for racketeering, the offense of en gaging in multiple crimes as part of an ongoing criminal enter prise, in 1993. “The magnitude of the waste, the complete indifference toward Oregon’s hunting laws and the ruthlessness of the methods used — all merited seeking the racke teering conviction,” Oregon At torney General Hardy Myers said in a released statement. The 48 predicate offenses that support Hillsman’s indictment include several incidents each of unlawful hunting and pursuing of black bear using dogs, unlaw ful taking of black bear during closed season, unlawful hunting of black bear during closed sea son, unlawful sale of wildlife parts and unlawful waste of a game animal. (( This is a landmark case in fish-and-wildlife investigations. » Capt. Lindsay Ball Director of the Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division “This is a landmark case in fish-and-wildlife investigations,” Ball said. “This should send a strong message to other individu als about how strongly Oregoni ans feel about their natural re sources.” Enforcement officers from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Fish and Game, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Los Angeles Police Department, Linn Coun ty Sheriff’s Office and Lane County Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team all assisted the Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division in the inves tigation. Prosecuters from Dou glas County, Lane County, Linn County, Lincoln County, Marion County, Oregon De partment of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are also involved. 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