Six guilty pleas, eight other charges dropped
Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 09/01) - A 39-year-old Yellowknife man pleaded guilty to a variety of wildlife charges in territorial court Tuesday.
Voice shaking, Frank Becker apologized to the court after pleading guilty to five violations of the Territorial Wildlife Act and Big Game Hunt regulations. "I regret not being fully aware of the law ... I lost my job over it," Becker said.
Becker was facing 13 wildlife and big game charges. He also pleaded guilty to a Criminal Code charge of failure to report a lost firearm.
The remainder of the charges were dropped by the Crown.
The wildlife and big game charges stem from when Becker was employed as a casual worker by NWT Power Corporation at the Snare Lake hydro station. They involve possessing a freshly killed animal without a tag, possessing big game over the limit, and leaving refuse in a wildlife area that would likely attract animals.
The firearms charge dates back to 1996, when Becker was on a fishing trip with friends and lost a .44 magnum handgun.
The gun was never reported lost.
Crown and defence lawyers agreed that Becker should be fined $1,600. However, they disagreed as to whether a hunting licence suspension or a weapons prohibition should be imposed.
Calling Becker's run-ins with the law "isolated incidents," defence lawyer Sarah Kay told the court that "a licence suspension of any kind is not warranted."
Judge Brian Bruser is scheduled to impose sentence on Becker May 23.
