SANTA FE – A Nevada man accused of illegally killing more than a dozen deer and elk will have 41 of 45 counts pending against him dismissed as part of a plea deal.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Thursday that an affidavit for a search warrant filed by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish says 20-year-old Jacob Leyba and his friends are suspected of conspiring to kill the animals and sell their heads for profit.
The affidavit says the men killed the animals in the areas of Mud Spring, Echo Canyon, Regina and Youngsville, sawed the heads off most of the animals and left their carcasses to rot.
Leyba, of Rio Arriba County, had faced eight felony charges and 37 misdemeanor counts. He pleaded guilty to four felony counts.
Leyba has yet to be sentenced.