A poaching case from 2019 was finally resolved Monday as Colorado Parks and Wildfire announced the five suspects had pleaded guilty to the charges.

The suspects, two of whom are juveniles, must pay more than $10,000 in fines and $2,500 in donations to Operation Game Thief, a CPW program that gives cash rewards to those who turn in poachers.

Floyd Kendall, 68, was charged with willful destruction of big game and waste of wildlife. Steven Creech, 36, was charged with willful destruction of big game and hunting without a license. Joseph Kendall, 37, was charged with hunting without a license.

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The two juveniles were charged with illegal possession of wildlife and shooting from a public road, and waste of wildlife and shooting from a public road.

All identified members of the group are from Grand Junction. Only two of the five members had valid hunting licenses.

On Nov. 9, 2019, witnesses called CPW to report a group of people shooting into a herd of elk on the Uncompahgre Plateau in Game Management Unit 61, CPW said. The group was seen shooting several elk and leaving them to rot.

State regulations require that any animal harvested must have all meat prepared for human consumption, according to CPW.

Officers found bodies of two elk and a spike bull that had been dragged into bushes and hidden without being gutted. Officers also found the gut pile of a third elk that had been taken away.

Witness descriptions led officers to the group’s camp where additional evidence was gathered.

“This case wouldn’t have been possible without the information that was provided by the witnesses,” said Kevin Duckett, wildlife manager of Uncompahgre Plateau. “There are millions of acres of public hunting lands in Colorado so we count on people to help be our eyes in the field.”

Anyone who believes they’ve witnessed a crime against wildlife can report it to Operation Game Thief at 1-877-265-6648 or #OGT on the Verizon network.