Two men who used short-barreled rifles to kill three wild donkeys in the Mojave Desert in 2021 pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges, prosecutors said.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to recommend probation instead of prison for the pair, who face up to 10 years behind bars simply for their firearms-related crimes.
Cameron John Vikema, 36, of Yorba Linda, and Christopher James Arnett, 32, of Loveland, Colorado, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of an unregistered firearm and a misdemeanor charge of maliciously causing the death of a donkey in public. Lands as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Court records show that late on November 5, 2021, the two men donned tactical gear that included ballistic helmets with night vision goggles and drove Arnett's truck into the desert just north of Yermo in San Bernardino County. They were armed with unregistered short-barreled rifles that prosecutors described as similar to assault rifles.
Prosecutors say that at about 1 a.m., the men collectively fired at least 13 shots, wounding and killing three wild donkeys.
“One of the donkeys was shot near its spine toward its hind legs, paralyzing its hind legs and causing the animal severe pain before it died,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote in a statement. The bullet removed from that donkey was fired from Arnett's gun, prosecutors said.
As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Fekema and Arnett agreed to surrender their rifles, more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition, night vision goggles and other tactical equipment, according to court documents.
Both men face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison on the firearms charge and up to one year in federal prison on the donkey killing charge. However, as part of the plea agreements, prosecutors are expected to ask for no more than three years of probation, a period of home detention and a fine of no more than $2,000 for each man, according to documents filed with the court. They are scheduled to be sentenced on July 8.
The slaughter of wild donkeys, which are protected under the Wild Horses and Wild Donkeys Act 1971, has been happening for years.
At least 42 wildebeest carcasses with gunshot wounds were found decomposing along Interstate 15 between Baker, California, and Primm, Nevada, in the summer of 2019.
Officials with the Bureau of Land Management described the incident as one of the largest killing operations of its kind on public lands managed by the agency. According to the agency, the search for the responsible individuals continues.
In January, the BLM announced it was offering a $10,000 reward for information that could help its investigation. The agency also identified two vehicles involved in the killing of 19 donkeys, whose bodies were found on August 13, 2019, the agency said in a press release at the time.
Authorities asked anyone with information about the crime to call (909) 987-5005.
