The Grays Harbor County man convicted of “spree-killing” five cow elk was sentenced Friday, according to a news release from the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
Richard Loren Pratt, 45, of Cosmopolis, received a mental health sentencing alternative and 36 months of community custody. He was ordered to pay a $10,000 wildlife penalty fine.
According to the WDFW, Pratt previously pleaded guilty to first-degree unlawful hunting of big game, a Class C felony; first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, a Class B felony; and wastage of wildlife, a gross misdemeanor.
Pratt could face up to nine years and eight months in prison if he violates his mental health sentencing alternative, according to the WDFW.
“In January 2023, WDFW Police received a report from a private timber company employee who observed multiple dead elk on a hillside off the Ray Anderson A-Line south of Cosmopolis,” the release states. “WDFW Officers responded to the scene and immediately began investigating the suspicious circumstances. Necropsies revealed the suspect used a high-powered rifle.”
According to police, the elk were left to waste at the scene in an area closed for harvest.
During the investigation, WDFW police collected evidence, worked with witnesses and collaborated with the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, according to the release.
They also asked the public for assistance.
“Ten months after the initial crime, WDFW Officer McOmber encountered Pratt near the crime scene,” the release stated. “Pratt had cut open a gate to enter the area and was found to be in possession of two firearms.”
A convicted felon, Pratt was prohibited from legally possessing firearms. McOmber established Pratt as a suspect.
According to the release, WDFW police later identified one of the firearms as the rifle Pratt used in the poaching.
After investigation and subsequent interviews, police confirmed Pratt was the person responsible for the spree killings.
“We solved this case thanks to the tenacity of Officer McOmber and the contact he made with Pratt,” WDFW Police Captain Dan Chadwick said. “This is just another example of our officers’ commitment to thorough investigations. In this case the officer spent months working the investigation, putting all the pieces together, which ultimately concluded in a confession.”
According to state law, first-degree unlawful hunting of big game refers to a person who “hunts for, takes, or possesses three or more big game animals within the same course of events."
This is known as a big-game “spree killing,” according to the release.
Pratt’s conviction comes with a suspension of license privileges and a criminal wildlife penalty imposed with fines of $2,000 for each elk taken, the WDFW stated.
Pratt will reportedly receive a ten-year suspension of his hunting privileges.
“We are disappointed the defendant will not be serving any prison time,” Chadwick said, “The Grays Harbor Prosecutor worked hard for the plea agreement which included prison time, we thank them for working diligently on this case.”
