This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The mayor of Hurricane is facing criminal charges for his alleged role in a poaching incident on property he owns in southern Utah.
John Wayne Bramall, 59, was charged Thursday in Kane County's 6th District Court with two counts — one third degree felony and one class A misdemeanor — of aiding and assisting the wanton destruction of protected wildlife.
The charges stem from a hunting incident on property owned by Bramall in Kane County that is designated for raising domestic elk, the county's lead prosecutor Robert Van Dyke said.
State laws allows for elk hunting inside the "high fence area" boundaries of the property, Van Dyke said, but other animals — such as mule deer — are protected.
Bramall is accused of allowing two men to illegally hunt deer on his property on Oct. 22, Van Dyke said.
Court papers say one hunter killed a large deer that was classified as protected and qualified as a "trophy animal." The other killed a smaller deer that was also protected. Van Dyke has filed separate criminal charges against both men.
Bramall "essentially helped" the men take the animals, Van Dyke said.
Division of Wildlife Resources officers witnessed all three men leave the property, but the two hunters were in a different vehicle than Bramall, Van Dyke said. The officers performed a traffic stop and arrested the two hunters. Bramall drove away because he had not been stopped by the officers.
Later, officers contacted Bramall and arranged for him to come to the Kane County Jail to be booked on Oct. 27, Van Dyke said. Bramall posted bail and was immediately released.
No court hearings are scheduled in Bramall's case. If he is convicted of the charges, the mayor faces a possible punishment of up to five years in prison for the felony charge and another year in jail for the misdemeanor.
A phone message to the Hurricane City offices requesting comment was not immediately returned Friday. mnoble@sltrib.com
Twitter: @mnoblenews