On Sept. 23, 2016, the DWR conservation officer in Roosevelt, Utah received a tip from Utah’s Turn-in-a-Poacher phone hotline. The tip indicated that a convicted felon, Kenneth (Kenny) Swenson Jr., was poaching cow elk and pheasants in nearby Duchesne County.
The officer quickly confirmed that Mr. Swenson was a felon and should not be in possession of firearms. The officer also confirmed that Mr. Swenson did not have any valid hunting licenses for 2016.
Upon further investigation, DWR officers discovered that several other law enforcement agencies were also searching for Mr. Swenson.
He was a known drug dealer and was rumored to be stealing items within the Uintah Basin.
Mr. Swenson did not have a current address and was very difficult to locate. After extensive investigation and surveillance, DWR officers discovered Swenson’s residence through the use of Facebook and Google Earth.
As the case unfolded, it became apparent that Swenson had killed more than cow elk.
DWR officers discovered that he had killed a trophy bull elk on the Wasatch limited-entry unit near Strawberry Reservoir.
He had also assisted his 12-year-old son and 15-year-old stepson in killing two trophy bull elk on the South Slope Yellowstone/Bonanza/Vernal unit in Duchesne County. He also didn’t stop at illegally harvesting elk. He killed two buck deer in the Book Cliffs limited-entry unit in Uintah County and assisted his wife, Marie Swenson, in killing a large buck in the same area.
These animals were all killed without legal permits. Some of the animals were tagged with Ute Tribe big game tags, which Swenson had fraudulently purchased.
DWR officers worked diligently with several agencies to capture Swenson. These agencies included the FBI, BIA, Uintah County Sheriff, Duchesne County Sheriff and the Roosevelt Police Department.
On Dec. 19, 2016, with assistance from the Uintah County Sheriff’s Department, Mr. Swenson was pulled over in Vernal and arrested. When pulled over, Mr. Swenson was found in possession of two handguns and several vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana, heroin, pills and methamphetamine.
He was interviewed by a DWR investigator and admitted to killing, or assisting in the killing of three elk and two deer. However, he would not tell DWR officers where the antlers of the harvested animals were located.
Over a period of several weeks, DWR officers conducted a total of 18 interviews related to the case. In one of these interviews, Marie Swenson admitted to killing a large buck deer in the Book Cliffs.
With enough evidence, DWR officers served 14 search warrants on several buildings, vehicles, phones, GPS units and Facebook profiles. One of the searches, conducted in an RV at Swenson’s residence, produced nearly 50 firearms that Mr. Swenson used for hunting. DWR officers seized a rifle suspected of being used to kill the trophy elk in Wasatch and the deer in the Book Cliffs. Later, it was discovered many of these firearms were stolen.
Many of the suspected stolen items that other agencies were investigating were also found at the Swenson residence. DWR officers were able to locate one set of elk antlers from the elk killed in Duchesne County and two sets of deer antlers from deer killed in the Book Cliffs. Officers also seized two deer hides and all big game meat as evidence from the Swenson residence.
Kenny Swenson pleaded guilty in Duchesne County on Dec. 11, 2017 to two counts of Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife, both third-degree felonies. He was ordered to pay $16,000 dollars to the Help Stop Poaching fund and sentenced to no more than five years in prison for each charge. He also lost all his hunting privileges for 28 years.
Mr. Swenson will still face charges in Wasatch County, where he could pay up to $8,000 in restitution and lose an additional 14 years of hunting privileges.
Mr. Swenson’s two Class A misdemeanor charges of Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife and other drug-related charges in Uintah County were dismissed because he is currently in a federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon.
On Jan. 11, 2018, Marie Swenson pleaded guilty in Uintah County to one count of Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife, a Class B misdemeanor. She was ordered to pay $400 to the Help Stop Poaching fund. She lost her big game hunting privileges for three years.
We’d like to extend our thanks to those who help us out by reporting poachers. If you witness suspicious activity or any wildlife violations, please call the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher (UTiP) Hotline at 800-662-3337 or submit a report online. Rewards might be available to those who provide information that leads to the successful prosecution of the individuals who break the law. Requests for confidentiality are respected and honored.
Felon caught poaching; stash contained drugs, stolen guns
Kenneth Swenson Jr. shows the head and antlers of a bull elk he killed during a family poaching spree in fall 2016. Swenson faces fines up to $24,000 and up to 10 years in prison. His hunting privileges are canceled for at least the next 28 years in 47 states, including Utah.