A Utah hunting guide is facing a felony charge for allegedly illegally baiting a bear shot and killed by Donald Trump Jr. while the former president’s eldest son enjoyed a cabin weekend with friends in 2018.
Wade Cox Lemon, 61, of Millard County, Utah, is facing a third-degree felony count of wanton destruction of protected wildlife. The charge was filed on behalf of the Utah Attorney General’s Office through the Davis County Attorney’s Office, FOX 13 Salt Lake City reported Sunday.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Lemon could face five years in prison if convicted even though he was not the one to pull the trigger. A recent filing does not name Trump Jr., though the Utah Department of Natural Resources confirmed to the newspaper that the now-44-year-old Trump was the “client” listed in the criminal complaint against Lemon.
Without referring to Trump Jr. by name, Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings told the Tribune that the hunter involved in this incident “was actually a victim and now a possible witness in a fraudulent scheme to lead the hunter to believe it was actually a legitimate Wild West hunting situation.”
