Men guilty of fatally shooting 3 burros in Mojave Desert, possessing illegal weapons
Two men who used assault rifles and night vision goggles to kill three wild burros in the Mojave Desert near Barstow pleaded guilty on Monday to federal charges related to the crimes, prosecutors said.
John Feikema, 36, of Yorba Linda, and Christopher James Arnet, 32, of Loveland, Colorado, each admitted to one felony count of possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle and one misdemeanor count of maliciously causing the death of a burro on public lands, according to the United States Department of Justice.
The killings took place about 1 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2021, as the men drove through the Mojave Desert just northeast of Barstow, U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Ciaran McEvoy said in a written statement.
"Arnet and Feikema eventually got out of Arnet’s truck and were dressed in tactical gear, including ballistic helmets equipped with night vision goggles," he said. Each man carried a short-barreled, AR-15-style firearm.
At least 13 rounds were fired at the animals in total, officials said. Feikema fired at least four bullets, while Arnet fired at least five.
"One burro was shot near its spine towards its hind legs, which paralyzed the burro’s hind legs and caused the animal severe pain before it died," McEvoy said.
The guns used in the incident were found at the suspects' respective homes, prosecutors said. Investigators from the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management managed to match a bullet recovered from one of the slain animals to Arnet's gun.
Both weapons were short-barreled rifles, which require registration under federal law to own, McEvoy said. Neither gun was registered.
Feikema and Arnet face a maximum penalty of 11 years in federal prison when they return to federal court in Riverside for sentencing on July 8, McEvoy said.
Under their plea agreements, they both agreed to forfeit the illegal weapons, 4,000 rounds of ammunition, night vision goggles and other tactical gear, he said.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: 2 men guilty in fatal shooting of wild burros in the Mojave Desert
