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Buying resident licenses when you aren’t one is a serious crime and this Georgia man recently was caught doing just that. Following a multi-year investigation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) discovered that Douglas Crookston of Duluth, Ga., had posed as a Colorado resident multiple times to purchase hunting licenses despite no longer owning any property in the state.
While Crookston had lived in Colorado, as of February 2017, he had sold all of his property and moved to Georgia; however, CPW Officer Scott Murdoch discovered that Crookston was still posing as a Colorado resident two years later, according to a press release. During the investigation, officials discovered photos and videos that Crookston had posted on social media, documenting “every aspect of his hunts,” which made it easier to determine “when and where certain wildlife were taken.” Further, it appeared that Crookston knew exactly what he was doing as
Douglas Crookston, 41, was charged with 42 wildlife violations, including illegally possessing six big game animals.
In April, he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of making a false statement while purchasing a hunting license, three counts of hunting without a valid license and two counts of illegal possession.
An Adams County judge sentenced Crookston to two years of supervised probation and a court-ordered suspension of all hunting, fishing and trapping activities.
“Colorado residents are entitled to certain privileges that out-of-state residents are not. This comes in the form of license prices, license draw odds and license allocations,” said wildlife officer Scott Murdoch.
In addition to the $41,700 in fines and court costs, Crookston was also ordered to make a $500 donation to Colorado s Operation Game Thief and to forfeit all wildlife seized in the investigation to the agency.