Port Gamble tribe admits officers were wrong

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. (AP) – The Jefferson County prosecutor will not charge two Port Gamble S’Klallam tribal officers after the tribal council admitted they erred in detaining three non-tribal elk hunters at Brinnon.

Tribal Chairman Jeromy Sullivan told The Peninsula Daily News the lead officer, Gus Goller, has been dismissed. County Prosecutor Juelie Dalzell says she is recommending that Goller be decommissioned so he can’t work in law enforcement. The other officer was a reserve following Goller’s orders.

They stopped three hunters on Oct. 3 who had killed an elk on private land and had a hunting license.

The Jefferson County sheriff’s office says the tribal officers exceeded their authority. The tribe says it’s reviewing its enforcement guidelines.

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Information from: Peninsula Daily News,
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com