A California couple who couldn’t resist bragging about their illegal hunting trophies mid-flight ended up exposing themselves to undercover wildlife officers. Their careless conversation led to a criminal investigation and multiple convictions.
In November 2023, Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, and Shannon Lee Price, 28, were returning to California from the East Coast. During the flight, they openly discussed their collection of illegal animal remains, including a green sea turtle skull hidden in their luggage. They also detailed their hunting activities, boasting about taking a mountain lion and sharing footage of a relative’s extensive trophy collection.
Two plainclothes officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife happened to be seated nearby. They listened as the couple unknowingly admitted to multiple violations of state and federal laws. When the officers identified themselves, Fitzpatrick and Price remained unfazed, continuing to share details about their poaching activities.
Once the plane landed, the officers asked to see the sea turtle skull. The couple hesitated before revealing it, making sure no TSA agents were watching. This exchange provided law enforcement with enough evidence to obtain search warrants for their residence in Chico, California, and the home of 64-year-old Harry Vern Fitzpatrick in Napa County.
Authorities raided both locations, finding a variety of illegally obtained wildlife. At the couple’s home, officers discovered them in the act of processing an unlawfully taken deer. Additional illegal items included a barn owl, a ringtail cat and mountain lion claws. At the elder Fitzpatrick’s residence, officers seized multiple mounted animals, including a wolverine and two full-body mountain lion mounts.
In April 2024, Fitzpatrick and Price were fined $1,000 each in federal court. Later, Fitzpatrick was ordered to pay $1,865 in fines and banned from hunting for a year, while Price received a $1,015 fine and the same restriction. The elder Fitzpatrick was fined $605 and placed on six months probation.
Wildlife officials stated that cases like this highlight the link between illegal poaching and international criminal activity.
