California Hunters Report Smuggled Turtle Skulls and Other Crimes to Wildlife Officials, Leading to Prosecution

Three California hunters have pleaded guilty to multiple wildlife crimes, including illegal possession of endangered species and poaching, after inadvertently confessing to undercover officers on a flight in 2023.

How the Investigation Unfolded

Unexpected Confession on a Flight

• Two plain-clothes California Fish and Wildlife officers were on a flight from San Diego to Sacramento in 2023.
• Seated in front of Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, and Shannon Lee Price, 28, the officers overheard them discussing illegal hunting activities.
• The couple admitted to illegally possessing a skull from an endangered green sea turtle in their luggage.

Further Admissions

• The couple also confessed to illegally hunting a mountain lion, a protected species in California.
• They mentioned a relative in Napa County who had multiple taxidermied mountain lions, wolves, and a wolverine—all illegal to possess.
• They even showed the officers a video of the relative’s wildlife trophy room.

Evidence Found at the Airport

• After landing in Sacramento, the couple showed officers the sea turtle skull, which was wrapped in a jacket inside their carry-on luggage.

Search Warrants Reveal More Violations

Chico Home (Fitzpatrick & Price)

• Illegally taken deer (poached out of season, no deer tags).
• Mountain lion claws.
• Ringtail cat (a fully protected species in California).
• Barn owl mount (illegal to possess without a permit).
• Spike buck and several other unlawfully taken deer.

Napa County Home (Harry Vern Fitzpatrick, 64)

• Two taxidermied mountain lions.
• One taxidermied wolverine.
• Illegal possession of protected species.

All animal specimens were confiscated from both locations.

Legal Consequences & Plea Agreements

Butte & Napa County District Attorneys filed poaching charges, while California Fish and Wildlife handled other wildlife law violations.

Plea Agreements & Sentences

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