Gar Guy Sentenced for Illegal Alligator Transport

BEAUMONT, Texas – The grim reaper of the marshes, 49-year-old Steve Barclay, a once-trusted guide in the hunting and fishing community, has been handed down a three-year probation sentence for his role in the illegal transport of an alligator. The former beacon of outdoor activities now stands as a cautionary tale for the lengths some will go to in the pursuit of profit over preservation.

Barclay pleaded guilty on Aug. 13, 2013, to transporting wildlife taken in violation of federal law. U.S. District Judge Ron Clark sentenced him to three years’ probation and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine for his part in the sordid tale that unfolded in Leon County.

The true horror of Barclay’s actions came to light when he admitted witnessing client John A. McCall shoot and kill three alligators over three days in May 2008. Texas law stipulates one alligator per hunter per season, but not even the rules of nature could stop this rogue guide and his client.

Barclay’s transport of an already dead alligator to Sportsman’s Memory taxidermy shop in Grapeland, Texas, only compounded his crime. The Endangered Species Act, which lists alligators as a threatened species, was violated along with the Lacy Act, which prohibits the transportation of wildlife in violation of U.S. law.

“Our State partner was essential to the success of this case,” said Nicholas E. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region. “With our combined efforts, we protect our threatened/endangered listed species.”

This joint investigation and prosecution were a testament to the commitment of both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to uphold the laws that safeguard our nation’s wildlife heritage.

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