9.06.08Malik sentenced to community service for illegally taking elk
By Sean Dieterich, The Independent
PINETOP-LAKESIDE - Michael Malik, a Michigan man who became the center of controversy after an elk hunt on Porter Mountain last July, has been sentenced to eight hours of community service.
Malik was found guilty of firing too close to an occupied structure on Aug. 4 after a July 31 bench trial that lasted over 10 hours. The Pinetop-Lakeside Justice Court said Malik must serve the community service within 60 days. Malik must also write letters of apology to homeowners of Mountain View Ranch on Porter Mountain, where the hunt took place.
The execution of the sentence will be suspended pending the court's consideration of Malik's motion for a new trial.
Ofc. Jim Hinkel, the law enforcement program manager for the Pinetop office of Arizona Game and Fish, said the sentence handed down was "disappointing" but the department will begin their own disciplinary process. He said Malik could face a revocation of his license and a minimum civil assessment of $8,000 for the elk he killed.
"What Mr. Malik is looking at is revocation of licenses to hunt, fish or trap for up to five years," he said.
Hinkel added those revocations would not just be limited to Arizona. Since Arizona is part of a interstate wildlife violator compact, Malik could face revocations in 32 states and seven Canadian provinces, including Utah, California and New Mexico.
"If you're revoked in any one of the participating states, you're revoked in the rest of them," he said.
Hinkel said he would have liked to see the justice court hand down a tougher sentence to show other potential offenders that wildlife violations would be taken seriously. However, he said it would not affect how Game and Fish carries out their action.
"We're moving forward," Hinkel said.
Reach the reporter at seand@wmicentral.com
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