The last of several people accused of running a western Colorado outfitting business that captured and maimed mountain lions and bobcats to make hunting easier for clients has pleaded guilty.
The Denver Post reported Tuesday that 31-year-old Nathan Simms, of Grand Junction, pleaded guilty to eight misdemeanor counts earlier this month and is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
Christopher Loncarich, the owner of the now defunct outfitting business that employed Simms, is serving a 27-month sentence in federal prison. Prosecutors say he and his assistants located and caged the cats before the clients arrived, then released them when the client was present. Sometimes cats were shot in the paws or stomach.
Loncarich sold bobcat and mountain lion hunts for up to $7,500.
