Pair deny poaching and trespass charges

Two people have denied a series of charges that followed a six-month police investigation into alleged poaching incidents in South and West Otago forestry blocks this year.

Carl John Arnoldus Watters (27), farm hand, and Kelly Dawn Lee (28), both of Oturehua, appeared before Judge Michael Crosbie in the Alexandra District Court yesterday.

The pair face three joint charges, which they have denied.

Two, laid under the Wild Animal Control Act, are of hunting a wild pig, at Tapanui on December 12 (Rankleburn Forest block) and Lawrence on March 21 (Glendhu Forest block) without the permission of the land occupier.

The maximum penalty for those charges is two years' jail or a fine of $100,000.

Watters and Lee are also jointly charged with trespassing on Ernslaw One Ltd, at Tapanui on December 12, within two years of being warned to stay off the property.

Watters faces 11 charges in total.

He has denied two further charges of illegally hunting a wild pig, at Kaitangata (Wangaloa Forest block) on January 25 and at Lawrence on July 13 (Halwyn Forest block) and dishonestly obtaining 13 Wenita hunting permits at Omakau between July 1, 2013 and July 21, 2015.

As well, he pleaded not guilty to intentionally damaging native trees, the property of Wenita Forest, at Kaitangata on January 25, possessing a firearm on March 21 at Lawrence after having his firearms licence revoked, and burgling a building on May 29 at Fruitlands.

Watters has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing an assortment of seven rounds of ammunition at Ranfurly on July 21, and to possessing cannabis at the same location on the same date, his counsel, Tim Cadogan, said.

Sergeant Derek Ealson, of Alexandra, told the Otago Daily Times last month the police investigation spanned six months.

About 20 police, including the armed offenders squad, carried out a search of an Ida Valley property on July 21 and the charges were laid after that.

An application by the ODT to take in-court photos of Watters and Lee yesterday was declined. Both were remanded to September 17 for a case review on the defended charges.

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