Makah whalers plead not guilty

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Source: Seattle Times

Makah whalers plead not guilty
By Lynda V. Mapes
Seattle Times staff reporter

TACOMA — With a courtroom packed with supporters from Neah Bay, five Makah tribal members appeared in federal court here this afternoon to plead not guilty to charges in their illegal hunt of a gray whale in the Strait of Juan de Fuca last month.

Wayne Johnson, Frankie Gonzales, Andrew Noel, Theron Parker and William Secor all offered no other comment to Chief Magistrate Judge J. Kelley Arnold as they entered their pleas. A trial date was set for Nov. 27. The men then left the courthouse free on bond.

A federal grand jury in Seattle last week indicted the group on five misdemeanor charges of conspiracy, unlawful taking of a marine mammal and unauthorized whaling. They each could face up to a year in jail and fines of $100,000 each if convicted.

The men also face separate prosecutions in tribal court, where they could be sentenced to up to a year in jail; pay up to a $5,000 fine, and have their treaty rights to fish suspended for up to three years.

The federal indictments allege that the men sought weapons and ammunition from the Makah tribe the day before the Sept. 8 hunt, saying they wanted to practice whaling. They also got permission from a tribal employee to borrow a small motorboat and a large buoy.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003946019_webwhale13m.html