A years-long investigation by the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division has resulted in significant penalties for a former corrections officer accused of illegally killing wildlife across Oregon. Christopher George Matson, 48, was sentenced in two separate cases in June following an investigation that began in 2024, when authorities received information he was unlawfully taking big game animals.

Charges and Sentencing

Matson pleaded guilty in Grant County Circuit Court to seven counts, including unlawful take of buck deer and black bear. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation, a lifetime hunting license revocation, 300 hours of community service, forfeiture of firearms and seized property, and a $52,500 fine payable to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Less than two weeks later, Matson pleaded guilty in Umatilla County Circuit Court to additional charges, including unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle, unlawful possession of a silencer, unlawful possession of multiple wildlife, and unlawful take of mule deer.

Combined, the penalties include probation, a lifetime revocation of hunting privileges, 300 hours of community service, and more than $114,000 in fines. The case was prosecuted by the Oregon Department of Justice’s Wildlife Anti-Poaching Resource Prosecutor.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.