A federal judge in Kansas has ordered the return of nearly $25,000 paid by a Texas hunter as restitution for running an illegal deer hunting camp.
James Bobby Butler Jr., of Martinsville, Texas, was initially assessed a $25,000 fine and $25,000 in restitution at his sentencing in 2011.
But U.S. District Judge Monti Belot vacated the restitution after last month’s hearing in which he found prosecutors failed to prove the value of the deer. Belot re-sentenced Butler to 10 months in prison and a $25,000 fine, and on Friday ordered the return of $24,700 in restitution he had paid.
Butler owned and operated the camp near Coldwater where his brother, Marlin Butler, worked as a guide. Marlin Butler’s amended sentence calls for eight months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
