Men plead guilty to killing wild burros in California desert
Two men pleaded guilty Monday to federal criminal charges of shooting and killing three wild burros in California’s Mojave Desert.
Christopher James Arnet, 32, of Loveland, Colo., and Cameron John Feikema, 36, of Yorba Linda, Calif., each pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and “maliciously” killing a burro on public lands.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, both men wore tactical gear, ballistic helmets and night-vision goggles when they set out with AR-style weapons on Nov. 5, 2021, near Yermo in San Bernardino County.
At about 1 a.m. on Nov. 6 they teamed to fire 13 rounds, killing three burros.
According to their plea agreements, one burro was paralyzed in its hind quarters with a spine shot by Arnet before it eventually died.
During the Bureau of Land Management investigation, the weapons used in the shootings were seized at Arnet’s and Feikema’s residences. The firearms, including a short-barreled rifle, were not registered.
The men forfeited the weapons, tactical gear, and 4,000 rounds of ammunition.
Both men face up to 11 years in federal prison. On Monday in Riverside, U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal scheduled their sentencing hearings for July 8.