Chad Gerondale, 41, has hired well-known Fairbanks attorney Bill Satterberg to represent him in the “meat for heat” case, as it has been dubbed by online spectators.
“I’ve got a lot to say about it but (Satterberg) told me not to,” Gerondale told the News-Miner Tuesday morning when he returned phone messages left during the weekend.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers last week issued Gerondale a summons to appear in court on Feb. 3 to be arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of illegal barter of game meat. Troopers issued a news release Friday stating Gerondale had been cited for agreeing to trade 125 pounds of moose meat for two cords of firewood.
Buying, selling or bartering of game meat, except snowshoe hares, is illegal. The one exception is caribou meat in northern and western Alaska (units 22-26) may be bartered, but the meat cannot be taken out of those units.
Gerondale allegedly offered to swap moose meat for firewood on the radio show, Tradio, which airs on KFAR 660 AM.
“The allegations are the guy was on Tradio and said, ‘I need some firewood and I’m willing to trade some moose meat,’” Satterberg said.
Trooper Ken Vanspronsen contacted Gerondale to make a deal and then showed up at his house and issued him a citation, Satterberg said.
A short story that appeared on Page B1 of Monday’s News-Miner generated substantial interest — almost 10,000 views and more than 100 comments at last count — in the case. The story was picked up by The Associated Press and has attracted statewide attention.
“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” Gerondale said. “I’m getting calls from all over the state from people who can’t believe it.”
Because illegal barter of game meat is a misdemeanor and not a violation, Gerondale will be entitled to a trial by jury, Satterberg said.
“We’ll get to see what the public thinks about it and get right down to the meat of the matter,” the attorney said.
Satterberg said there was no criminal intent involved and the citation issued to Gerondale is the product of “very zealous Fish and Game agents.”
“Sometimes a good, solid warning for a person is sufficient,” Satterberg said. “If the intention of troopers is to educate the public, I guess this is one way to do it.”
Satterberg, a hunter himself, insinuated that trading game meat for fish and vice-versa is a common practice in Alaska.
“Most people don’t even think about it,” he said.
Sgt. Scott Quist with the Alaska Wildlife Troopers said trading game meat is illegal and troopers will investigate if they hear about it, whether it’s through Craigslist, Tradio, eBay or word of mouth.
“This is the commercialism of game taken under a sport hunting license and it’s not legal,” Quist said. “We don’t charge a lot of people with this, but if somebody is advertising it we will absolutely follow up on it.”
The value of two cords of firewood is somewhere between $500 to $600, which “puts a fairly significant per pound value on that moose meat,” Quist said. “It’s no different than if you were paying money for it. Alaska law says that’s not legal.”
While it is illegal to buy, sell or barter game meat, the same is not true for salmon caught by federally qualified subsistence users.
Under federal law, subsistence users can buy, sell or trade an undefined amount of salmon caught, as long as it’s caught in federal waters, Quist said. Subsistence fishermen cannot sell fish caught in state waters, he added.
As he reads the state statute, AS 16.05.920, Satterberg said even the offer of buying, selling or trading game meat is illegal.
“If you say, ‘I’ve got some moose meat; you’ve got some salmon, let’s trade,’ that’s a crime,” Satterberg said. “Simply making the statement is the crime. That’s a serious First Amendment question.”
What the law says
AS16.05.920. Prohibited Conduct Generally.
(a) Unless permitted by AS16.05-AS16.40, by AS41.14, or by regulation adopted under AS16.05-AS16.40 or AS41.14, a person may not take, possess, transport, sell, offer to sell, purchase, or offer to purchase fish, game, or marine aquatic plants, or any part of fish, game, or aquatic plants, or a nest or egg of fish or game.
Seems like, all of the liberal Nay Sayers and folks who besmirched Chad, have stopped commenting!
Go figure!
However, no transaction took place. It was DISCUSSED. A simple telephone call, warning him, then a follow up on the radio show letting the public know the law, would have sufficed. It also would have taken much less time and personnel effort on behalf of AST.
Unfortunately, I see this action as possibly being used against the AST when their budget comes under legislative review. The way this was handled brought negative attention to the department on a statewide, if not nationwide level.
Goose-stepping our way to a safer Alaska, one reich at a time.
Feels like there is more to the story on both sides.
It was the sight of the result a minister tortured by a scourge whip , metal shards attached of course - death assumably by slow hypovolemic shock , seeing that bare rib bones were visible .
Why the punishment ?
For refusal to take license to preach , thus by government decree as is today , by taking license , it creates a crime by non-license where no crime was present earlier.
So , fellow criminals , next time you go out to obtain game , remember to get that license so you won't be punished for the crime you will be out to commit and if you " drive ' there , don't forget to license against punishment to that crime as well - ah yes, the privilege of not being punished for committing crimes !
Instead of hunting a moose that he did not need he could have spent the time and went out and cut fire wood in one of the many firewood cutting areas. The permit is less than a box of shells.
Instead of hunting Mr.Gerondale should have been looking for a job, or should have not taken off his current job. Probably the money he spent on his hunt, and the pay he did not receive for not working a job he could have paid for fuel. A little tip Mr. Gerondale McDonald's is hiring.
Who would not like to quit their job,and commercial hunt all day then trade meat, antlers, and hides for cars, homes, fuel.
If everybody commercial hunted like Mr.Gerondale there would be no moose.
Ultimately what Mr. Gerondale did was take a moose that he did not need from someone else who needed the meat to feed his/her family.
I need a couple more cords of wood too. Why? Because the rest of my wood lot would need the use of a loader to get access, and I don't have a sno-go. Whiffed a bit more wood than usual, due to oil stove problems. No excuses, just the way it is at the moment.
What a bunch of horse puckey.
I have to appreciate the troopers taking the extra time in stopping this heinous crime, this guy might have taken that $600 worth of wood and bought some liquor with it, got drunk, beat up his wife and kids then drove off and hit a school bus. (I am glad they stop this from possibly happening). I know he was not trying to help keep his family safe and warm!!
And yet we still wonder what is going wrong in this country.
Why do we have to make criminals when we already have enough to go around?
A guy who goes on tradio with moose meat obviously doesn't hunt and doesn't know it is illegal...but the people who are trading in their garages and backyards probably do because they probably hunt (though alot of people who do hunt big game are admitting they never knew it was illegal to trade)
so let me get this straight...Quist wants to give misdemeanors to innocent folk who DON'T hunt and DON'T know the rules but will turn a blind eye to the people who DO hunt big game and who DO know the laws....
I fear for Fairbanks with people like that in leadership...truly.
leo are generally good people and good at their jobs...but this one will probably end up being put under the microscope and with good reason...there need to be checks and balances to get rid of bad eggs so that we are not being pulled over by glory seekers addicted to their name in print.
as for how i know anything...i'm smart...and lets just say...we the concerned have been concerned for a long time...
Alaska is a small (population) state with less than one degree of separation...if you were such a wise old owl here for so long...you would have known that...
Don't show your "ignorance" Educate yourself on what Trial by Jury is all about and the true powers of "jurors" who may be called for jury duty and serve on a case.Do your homework and reserach and you will underestand why the Jury is the Guarding of Freedom and can vote their conscious and "Judge the Law as well as the Facts"
You can start by going to fija.org American Jury Institute/The Fully Informed Jury Association 1-800-tel-jury or fija.org
I concur that the laws are in place for a reason, and without them, there'd be a lot of people taking way more meat than they should for the purpose of barter.
However, to say that a jury has to act on the law alone, and not on whether they agree with it or not isn't true at all. They're SUPPOSED to do that, but they can decide however they like, based on personal feelings, the facts and circumstances of the situation, history and case law, etc... Satterberg is as silver tounged as they come. I'm interested to see how this case plays out.
And to the trooper bashers posting here...they just did their job. Nothing more, nothing less. Leave them be.
I believe the law should be changed, but this is not about the law it is about the spirit of the law and those that carry out the law. It appears the law was implemented to stop poaching. This case is not about poaching. Now for those carrying out the law... several years ago I had family up from outside and we went fishing in the Montana creek area, while we were fishing 2 men walked up and one said his father was from Utah and would love to catch a salmon, I offered them my copy of the Ak. fishing regulations, they refused them so I went on my way, my brother caught a rainbow trout and he was in the process of releasing it and the men walked over and did everything they could do to get him to keep it. Had he not been an avid fisherman he might have fallen for their, it's going to die anyway trick. He did not. Up to that point I thought F&G troopers were good people, they are not. An organization that fosters such lying crooks has to be rotten.
“If you say, ‘I’ve got some moose meat; you’ve got some salmon, let’s trade,’ that’s a crime,” Satterberg said. “Simply making the statement is the crime. That’s a serious First Amendment question.”
WOW, I had NO idea it was illegal. I knew you couldn't sell it, but to trade with a buddy that has more fish and you have more moose or whatever, I guess I have a hard time understanding what is so wrong about that.
(a) Unless permitted by AS 16.05 - AS 16.40 or by regulation adopted under AS 16.05 - AS 16.40, a person may not take, possess, transport, sell, offer to sell, purchase, or offer to purchase fish, game, or marine aquatic plants, or any part of fish, game, or aquatic plants, or a nest or egg of fish or game.
The above is from the 1993 Alaska Statutes. It has not changed. As the online statures do not go back before the 1993 edition I could not determine just when this was first placed into the Statutes.