Former Colorado cop accused of abusing authority by killing beloved elk is convicted of four felonies

Former Boulder, Colo., police officer Sam Carter, who was accused of killing a bull elk that was a welcome denizen of a Boulder neighborhood, then using his badge to try to cover up his deed, was convicted Tuesday evening on nine accounts, including four felonies.

"Prosecutors say Carter shot the trophy elk in the residential area while on duty—without reporting that he'd fired his weapon—then claimed the animal had been injured and needed to be put down. Text messages showed he had planned the kill," Mitchell Byars reports for the Daily Camera in Boulder. The felonies include attempting to influence a public official, forgery and two counts of tampering with evidence. Carter, who will sentenced on Aug. 29, could face up to six years for the first felony.

District Attorney Stan Garnett, who said prosecutors who were hoping for at least one felony conviction so Carter could never work in law enforcement again, "said the verdict served to 'vindicate' the outrage the Boulder community felt and was important because it involved an officer abusing his authority," Byars writes. Garnett told him, "This was about something that is essential to every community, and that is integrity in public service." (Read more)