Lawmakers Decry Search Of Ranch Where Wolf Died

State and federal lawmakers bristled Thursday at federal agents’ handling of a search at a Lemhi County ranch.

Lemhi County Sheriff Brett Barsalou has withdrawn his cooperation with Fish and Wildlife Service agents following a dispute over the way they are investigating a January wolf killing.

Barsalou issued an angry statement objecting to the way three armed federal agents on Wednesday searched the ranch of Gene Hussey south of Salmon where the transplanted Canadian wolf was shot.

“I would say that any future working relationship with the Fish and Wildlife Service is history and that’s unfortunate,” Barsalou said. “They brought it on themselves.”

Hussey, 74, was not harmed, and officials said there was no physical confrontation. But Barsalou said the federal agents had an intimidating manner that was “dangerously close to excessive force.”

Gov. Phil Batt issued a statement Thursday calling the Fish and Wildlife actions “totally unreasonable and overreaching.” He said Attorney General Alan Lance was investigating.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Boise referred questions to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

“We’re trying to get an idea right now of what happened,” said Terry Derden, chief criminal attorney at the office. Reports on the incident were being prepared for U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials in Washington, D.C., he said.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers routinely carry guns, he said.

“These are law enforcement officers he said. “That’s what the government pays them to do.”

Sen. Larry Craig announced he has invited Mollie Beattie, director of Fish and Wildlife, to his office today.

“When I think of a 74-year-old-man being intimidated by armed federal land management officials, I think of my dad who is the same age,” Craig said in a press release. “And it makes me a little angry.”

Meanwhile, Congressman Michael Crapo said he won agreement from House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, to schedule a hearing on the incident by the end of March. And Congressman Helen Chenoweth and Lt. Gov. Butch Otter announced plans for a March 17 public hearing in Boise.

The agents reportedly were looking for spent cartridges but found nothing.

The wolf apparently had been attacking a calf when it was shot Jan. 29. Under the rules governing the wolf reintroduction in central Idaho, the predators can be killed by ranchers if they are attacking their stock.

Hussey has denied involvement in the animal’s death.

Wednesday’s search prompted a letter from the Lemhi County commissioners to state and federal officials. They protested the agents’ “highhanded actions” and asked that a letter of apology be written to Hussey and Barsalou.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol Thursday, Rep. JoAn Wood, R-Rigby, and Rep. Lenore Barrett, R-Challis, said they were outraged by the incident. Wood represents Lemhi County.

“The overall danger,” Wood said, “is an uprising of our people in Custer and Lemhi counties.”

In Salmon, Barsalou said Hussey called for help when the agents arrived Wednesday, and the sheriff “lost his cool” when he saw the armed officers.

“I don’t have a problem with their search warrant, but I do question why it takes three armed federal agents to serve a search warrant on an elderly gentleman,” Barsalou said. “If Hussey had an arsenal up there and they knew it, that would be different, but they’ve got a man that’s always talked to them, always been helpful.”

Fish and Wildlife has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the wolf killer. The penalty for illegally killing one of the experimental wolves is up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Barsalou said Fish and Wildlife has ignored his offers to help coordinate enforcement in his county. And in a written statement, county commissioners said they believed the sheriff was the “chief law enforcement officer in Lemhi County and that any outside law enforcement should coordinate activities through the sheriff’s office.”

Derden said the U.S. attorney’s office has no plans to investigate Sheriff Barsalou’s actions.

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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = From staff and wire reports Staff writer Rich Roesler contributed to this report.