An Adak man was recently sentenced to jail time and hefty fines after he pleaded guilty to guiding caribou hunters without a license.
Adak resident and former city council member Jack Stewart Jr. was charged with three counts of transporting big game hunters to the field without a license. According to Megan Peters of Alaska's Department of Public Safety, troopers with the state's Wildlife Investigations Unit were tipped off in 2014 that Stewart was offering guiding services and ferrying hunters to caribou hunting grounds on Adak Island. He was arrested after he offered the same service to undercover wildlife agents.
Businesses and individuals providing services to big game hunters are regulated through a state department called the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. They are required to carry insurance and pay a license fee of about $650 every two years.
Stewart's sentence of 90 days in jail was suspended and he will end up paying $3000 to the state, plus restitution for the cost of the investigation. He was also placed on probation for five years.
