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Mark Morse of The Villages charged with

felony wildlife violations in Montana
Morse could face up to 21 years in prison and hefty
fines for killing prized elk and deer without a
license.
November 04, 2010|By Arelis R. Hernández, Orlando Sentinel

Mark Morse, a top executive of the Central Florida retirement community The Villages,
has been charged with felony and misdemeanor hunting violations in Montana.

Morse and his wife, their daughter and five others are accused of 18 wildlife violations
during hunting excursions over the past four years on Morse property in Montana. The
charges include the illegal killing or possession of elk, deer, and other wildlife.

Morse, the president and chief operating officer of the massive community 60 miles
northwest of Orlando, is accused of killing too many animals and killing them without
proper licenses.

"When somebody comes and violates those rules by killing multiple animals and hunting
out of season, they are in fact stealing from the people of Montana," said state Fish
Wildlife & Parks spokesman Robert Gibson.

Morse could be sentenced to 21.5 years in prison and be fined as much as $203,000 if
convicted.

The 50-year-old landowner belongs to a wealthy and politically influential Florida

family. His father, H. Gary Morse, is a major contributor to the Republican Party and the
developer of The Villages, which has roughly 80,000 residents in Lake and two adjacent
counties.

The Villages spokesman Gary Lester did not immediately return a call for comment.

Morse, who owns the M Square Ranch and co-owns the Wolf Mountain Ranch in
Montana, has hunted legally in the state before and he knew the rules, wildlife and parks
spokesman Gibson said.
"In wildlife circles, these are very serious charges and not many of the things we enforce
are felonies," Gibson said. "He is accused of shooting some really nice, big trophy
animals."

Morse's wife MLissa, 40, is accused of killing a mule deer buck in November 2008
without a license, which carries a penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Morse's daughter, Kelsea Louise, who was recently married in Montana, is accused of
wounding a bull elk with an arrow and killing a turkey on M Square Ranch without a
license. The 26-year-old is facing a year in jail and a $2,000 fine if found guilty.

Calls to Kelsea Morse's last known phone number were not returned.

Mark Morse was not arrested but appeared in court in Big Horn County last week after he
was charged. He is scheduled to face felony charges in Yellowstone County Court on
Nov. 23.

Gibson said cases involving so many alleged hunting violations — and so many felony
charges — are rare. Usually, defendants in these big cases enter pleas and pay hefty fines,
Gibson said.

The Morses could lose their fishing and hunting privileges for life in Montana and more
than 20 other states because of an multi-state agreement that bans hunters who violate
game laws. Florida is one of the partners to the agreement.

Three other Florida residents also were charged in the case, including James "Ike"
Rainey, Lenard Lee Powell, and Richard E. Staton, all of Wildwood.

Rainey is a registered agent of the Rainey Construction Co., which does work in The
Villages. He also co-owns the Wolf Mountain ranch with Morse. He could not be reached
for comment Thursday.

Christine Show, Lauren Ritchie and Martin E. Comas of the Sentinel staff contributed to
this report. Arelis Hernandez can be reached at arehernandez@orlandosentinel.com or
352-742-5934.
Villages president charged with wildlife violations in Montana

BRAD BUCK | Staff Writer

bradbuck@dailycommercial.com

The president and chief operating officer of The Villages has been charged with felony
wildlife violations in Montana.

Mark Morse is among six Floridians arrested for 18 crimes allegedly committed during
the past foury ears in Yellowstone and Big Horn counties in Montana, according to a
state news release.

Gary Lester, communty relations vice president for The Villages, did not return a phone
call Thurdsay seeking comment on the charges against Morse.

Morse next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 23 in Billings, Mont., said Montana
wildlife spokesman Bob Gibson.

Some of those arrested own ranches in Montana, the release said.

In addition, felony and misdemeanor charges were filed against a Billings-area man and a
Utah hunting outfitter, who are accused of aiding the Florida residents in committing
wildlife violations.

The Montana Attorney General's office filed the charges in Billings, Hardin and Helena,
Mont., starting in mid-October. The investigation has been ongoing for about a year,
Gibson said.

Morse his wife and their daughter were charged along with James "Ike" Rainey, Lenard
Lee Powell and Richard E. Staton of Wildwood, Fla., Montana authorities said.

Toby Lee Griffith of Billings and David L. Duncan of Huntsville, Utah also were
charged.

Rainey owns Rainey Construction Co., which does work in The Villages. Powell is listed
as president of LPI Curb Service, a concrete construction company that does work in The
Villages. Staton is a former Florida Wolf Mountain Ranch employee.

Mark Morse is charged with:

-- Possessing a trophy mule deer buck in 2006 that was killed in Big Horn County in
violation of conditions of an outfitter-sponsored license.
-- Helping Rainey with an elk hunt in Big Horn County in September 2008 when neither
Morse nor Rainey had an elk license valid in that area.

-- Possessing three mule deer bucks in Big Horn County in November 2008 for which
there were not proper tags.

-- Possession of a bull elk taken in 2006 in Yellowstone County in violation of conditions

of an outfitter-sponsored license.

-- Killing a bull elk in Yellowstone County in 2007 when he did not have a valid
Montana elk license.

-- Helping his daughter, Kelsea Morse, kill a wild turkey, for which neither had a license,
in the spring of 2007.

-- Helping his daughter hunt, shoot and track a bull elk, for which neither had a valid
license, in 2008 in Yellowstone County.

All of the charges against Mark Morse of killing or illegally possessing elk and deer are
felonies because the animals were classified as trophies or their value exceeded $1,000.
The combined maximum penalties for the charges against Mark Morse total $203,000 in
fines, 21 1/2 years in prison and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Rainey is charged with:

-- Hunting elk in Big Horn County without a license in September 2008, a misdemeanor.

-- Possession of two bull elk and four mule deer killed on two consecutive days in
November 2008 in Big Horn County and for which Rainey did not have legal licenses.
Because the value of the animals exceeds $1,000, Rainey is charged with a felony.

-- Two misdemeanor charges of waste of game in Big Horn County in September 2009.
Rainey is accused of killing two elk, then removing only the head from one elk and
allowing the meat from both carcasses to rot.

The combined maximum penalties for the charges against Rainey total $53,000 in fines, 6
1/2 years in prison and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Additional charges are pending against 10 other people identified during the
investigation.
Nov 4, 3:36 PM EDT

Villages president charged with poaching in Mont.

By MATT VOLZ
Associated Press

Advertisement

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- The president of a Florida retirement community and his family
are among eight people who have been charged with poaching in Montana, state wildlife
officials said Thursday.

Mark Morse, president and chief operating officer of The Villages retirement community
45 miles northwest of Orlando, faces felony charges that carry penalties of more than 20
years in prison and $203,000 in fines if he is convicted.
His attorney, Jay Lansing of Billings, said Morse will make an initial court appearance on
Nov. 23 and plead not guilty. Lansing declined to comment further on the charges.

Morse owns a ranch in Montana's Yellowstone and Big Horn counties, and co-owns
another ranch with another defendant, James "Ike" Rainey, the owner of Rainey
Construction Co., which does work in The Villages.

Others charged and issued summonses include Morse's wife MLissa and daughter Kelsea;
Lenard Lee Powell, president of LPI Curb Service, a concrete construction company that
does work at The Villages; Richard Staton, a former employee on Morse and Rainey's
ranch; Toby Lee Griffith, an employee on Morse's ranch; and David Duncan, a hunting
outfitter.

The charges date back to 2006 and are the result of a year-long investigation, Montana
Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Bob Gibson said. Charges are pending against 10
other people identified during the investigation, he said.

Morse and Rainey are accused of killing and possessing elk and deer without a license.
They face felony charges because the elk and deer are trophy animals with values that
exceed $1,000. Morse is also accused of hunting under Duncan's outfitter license when
Duncan was not present, which is illegal.

"They were duped by nobody," Gibson said. "They were fully aware of what the law was.
They just violated it."

In separate incidents, Morse's employees, Griffith and Rainey, are accused of putting
their tags on game that they didn't kill in an attempt to cover up that Morse shot the
animals without a license, Gibson said.

Griffith is charged with felony possession of a buck deer and bull elk that were killed by
Morse in 2006 and with putting his tag on a bull elk shot by Morse in 2007. Staton is
accused of using his license to tag a deer and an elk he didn't kill, along with possessing a
mule deer illegally killed in South Dakota.

Besides the felony charges stemming from two bull elk and four mule deer he allegedly
killed in 2008, Rainey also faces two misdemeanor charges, including an accusation that
he removed the head from an elk and allowed the meat of the carcass to rot.

Powell faces felony charges of illegal possession of the two bull elk and four mule deer.

If convicted, Rainey faces penalties of more than six years in prison and $53,000 in fines.
His attorney, Michael Sherwood of Missoula, was in court Thursday and was not
immediately available for comment.
MLissa Morse is charged with killing a mule deer buck in 2008 without a license, a
misdemeanor. Kelsea Morse is charged with wounding a bull elk in 2008 and killing a
turkey in 2007 without a valid license, also a misdemeanor.

The guide, Duncan, actually lives in Utah and used his parents' Montana address to
obtain a state outfitters' license, Gibson said. He is charged with falsifying required
outfitter license documents, applications for hunting licenses and client logs.

The felony charges could carry more than 20 years in prison and $101,000 in fines.

Montana voters passed an initiative in Tuesday's election that will abolish outfitter
licenses and raise the fees of nonresident licenses. Some outfitters in Montana charge
clients more than $10,000 for the promise of shooting a trophy elk on private land. The
initiative's backers say the practice encourages landowners to limit access to paying
clients only.

Gibson said it is not clear that the poaching would have still happened if the new law
were already in effect, but he noted that only some of the charges are tied to the illegal
use of an outfitter license.

Other animals were killed without any license, he said.

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Executive with The Villages charged in
Montana poaching case
Posted: Nov 4, 2010 11:27 AM by Q2 News
Updated: Nov 4, 2010 1:17 PM

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BILLINGS - Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks has charged 8 people including a top
executive in a Florida retirement community with multiple poaching violations.

The charges stem from a four year investigation involving several counties and multiple
agencies.

FWP public information officer Bob Gibson offered the following release and details of
the investigation.

Six Florida residents, some of whom own ranches in Montana, have been charged with
18 wildlife violations, including felony crimes, committed during the past four years in
Yellowstone and Big Horn counties.

In addition, felony and misdemeanor charges were filed against a Billings-area man and a
Utah hunting outfitter accused of aiding the Florida residents in commission of wildlife
violations.

The Montana Attorney General's office filed the charges in Billings, Hardin and Helena
starting in mid-October.

The defendants are Mark Gary Morse and his wife, MLissa Marie Morse, of The
Villages, Fla.; their daughter, Kelsea Louise Morse; James "Ike" Rainey, Lenard Lee
Powell and Richard E. Staton of Wildwood, Fla.; Toby Lee Griffith of Billings and David
L. Duncan of Huntsville, Utah.

Mark Morse owns the M Square Ranch in the Pine Ridge area of Yellowstone and Big
Horn counties southeast of Pompeys Pillar. Morse and Rainey jointly own the Wolf
Mountain Ranch east of Hardin in Big Horn and Rosebud counties.
Mark Morse is president and chief operating officer of The Villages, a massive retirement
community 45 miles northwest of Orlando, Fla.

Rainey owns Rainey Construction Co., which does work in The Villages. Powell is listed
as president of LPI Curb Service, a concrete construction company that does work in The
Villages.

Staton is a former Wolf Mountain Ranch employee.

Griffith is an employee of the M Square Ranch.

Duncan is licensed as a hunting outfitter in Montana.

His licensing records with the Montana Board of Outfitters list his address as Cut Bank,
Mont.

Mark Morse is charged with:

• Possessing a trophy mule deer buck in 2006 that was killed in Big Horn County in
violation of conditions of an outfitter-sponsored license.
• Helping Rainey with an elk hunt in Big Horn County in September 2008 when neither
Morse nor Rainey had an elk license valid in that area.
• Possessing three mule deer bucks in Big Horn County in November 2008 for which
there were not proper tags.
• Possession of a bull elk taken in 2006 in Yellowstone County in violation of conditions
of an outfitter-sponsored license.
• Killing a bull elk in Yellowstone County in 2007 when he did not have a valid Montana
elk license.
• Helping his daughter, Kelsea Morse, kill a wild turkey, for which neither had a license,
in the spring of 2007.
• Helping his daughter hunt, shoot and track a bull elk, for which neither had a valid
license, in 2008 in Yellowstone County.

All of the charges against Mark Morse of killing or illegally possessing elk and deer are
felonies because the animals were classified as trophies or their value exceeded $1,000.

The combined maximum penalties for the charges against Mark Morse total $203,000 in
fines, 21.5 years in prison and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Rainey is charged with:

• Hunting elk in Big Horn County without a license in September 2008, a misdemeanor.
• Possession of two bull elk and four mule deer killed on two consecutive days in
November 2008 in Big Horn County and for which Rainey did not have legal licenses.
Because the value of the animals exceeds $1,000, Rainey is charged with a felony.
• Two misdemeanor charges of waste of game in Big Horn County in September 2009.
Rainey is accused of killing two elk, then removing only the head from one elk and
allowing the meat from both carcasses to rot.
The combined maximum penalties for the charges against Rainey total $53,000 in fines,
6.5 years in prison and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

MLissa Morse is charged with killing a mule deer buck in Big Horn County in November
2008 without a license. Maximum penalty for the misdemeanor is a $1,000 fine, six
months in jail and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Kelsea Morris is charged with wounding a bull elk with an arrow in 2008 and killing a
turkey in 2007, both on the M Square Ranch, when she had valid Montana licenses to
hunt neither. Total possible penalties for the two crimes include a year in jail, $2,000 in
fines and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Griffith is charged with felony possession of a buck deer and bull elk that were killed by
Mark Morse in 2006 in violation of Montana law dealing with outfitter-sponsored
licenses. The law requires that the license be used only in the presence of the outfitter and
the charges contend that the outfitter, David Duncan, was not present when the animals
were killed.

Griffith also is charged with putting his tag on a bull elk shot by Mark Morse in 2007.

Total possible penalties for Griffith include $51,000 in fines, 5.5 years in prison and loss
of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Duncan is charged in Lewis and Clark County with two felony counts of tampering with
public records and a misdemeanor count of purchasing a Montana resident hunting
license while he was a resident of Utah. The charges accuse him of buying Montana
resident licenses in Helena using his parents' Cut Bank address, though he has lived in
Utah since 1998. The felony charges accuse Duncan of falsifying required outfitter
license documents, applications for hunting licenses and client logs.

Total penalties for Duncan could include $101,000 in fines, 20.5 years in prison and loss
of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Powell is accused of illegal possession of two bull elk and four mule deer killed in Big
Horn County in November 2008. The combined value of the animals exceeds $1,000 so
Powell is charged with a felony. The crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in
prison, a $50,000 fine and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Staton is charged with two misdemeanors in Big Horn County and one misdemeanor in
Yellowstone County in November 2008. He is accused of using his licenses to tag a deer
and an elk that he did not kill. And he is accused of possessing a mule deer that was
illegally killed in South Dakota. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in
jail and a $1,000 fine.

Additional charges are pending against 10 other people identified during the
investigation.
Montana News

Multiple poaching charges filed in MT

poaching case
Posted: Nov 4, 2010 12:34 PM by KTVQ (Billings)

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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials have charged eight people, including a top
executive in a Florida retirement community, with multiple poaching violations.

The charges stem from a four-year investigation involving several counties and multiple
agencies. FWP public information officer Bob Gibson offered the following release and
details of the investigation.

The Florida residents, some of whom own ranches in Montana, have been charged with
18 wildlife violations, including felony crimes, committed during the past four years in
Yellowstone and Big Horn counties.

In addition, felony and misdemeanor charges were filed against a Billings-area man and a
Utah hunting outfitter accused of aiding the Florida residents in commission of wildlife
violations.

The Montana Attorney General's Office filed the charges in Billings, Hardin and Helena
starting in mid-October.

The defendants are Mark Gary Morse and his wife, Melissa Marie Morse, of The
Villages, Florida.; their daughter, Kelsea Louise Morse; James "Ike" Rainey, Lenard Lee
Powell and Richard Staton of Wildwood, Florida.; Toby Lee Griffith of Billings, and
David L. Duncan of Huntsville, Utah.

Mark Morse owns the M Square Ranch in the Pine Ridge area of Yellowstone and Big
Horn counties southeast of Pompeys Pillar. Morse and Rainey jointly own the Wolf
Mountain Ranch east of Hardin in Big Horn and Rosebud counties.
Morse is president and chief operating officer of The Villages, a large retirement
community 45 miles northwest of Orlando, Florida; the community is heavily promoted
in national TV ads.

Morse is charged with:

Possessing a trophy mule deer buck in 2006 that was killed in Big Horn County in
violation of conditions of an outfitter-sponsored license.

Helping Rainey with an elk hunt in Big Horn County in September 2008 when neither
Morse nor Rainey had an elk license valid in that area.

Possessing three mule deer bucks in Big Horn County in November 2008 for which there
were not proper tags.

Possession of a bull elk taken in 2006 in Yellowstone County in violation of conditions

of an outfitter-sponsored license.

Killing a bull elk in Yellowstone County in 2007 when he did not have a valid Montana
elk license.

Helping his daughter, Kelsea Morse, kill a wild turkey, for which neither had a license, in
the spring of 2007.

Helping his daughter hunt, shoot and track a bull elk, for which neither had a valid
license, in 2008 in Yellowstone County.

All of the charges against Morse of killing or illegally possessing elk and deer are
felonies because the animals were classified as trophies or their value exceeded $1,000.
The combined maximum penalties for the charges against Mark Morse total $203,000 in
fines, 21.5 years in prison and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Rainey is charged with:

Hunting elk in Big Horn County without a license in September 2008, a misdemeanor.

Possession of two bull elk and four mule deer killed on two consecutive days in
November 2008 in Big Horn County and for which Rainey did not have legal licenses.
Because the value of the animals exceeds $1,000, Rainey is charged with a felony.

Two misdemeanor charges of waste of game in Big Horn County in September 2009.
Rainey is accused of killing two elk, then removing only the head from one elk and
allowing the meat from both carcasses to rot.

The combined maximum penalties for the charges against Rainey total $53,000 in fines,
6.5 years in prison and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.
Melissa Morse is charged with killing a mule deer buck in Big Horn County in November
2008 without a license. Maximum penalty for the misdemeanor is a $1,000 fine, six
months in jail and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Kelsea Morris is charged with wounding a bull elk with an arrow in 2008 and killing a
turkey in 2007, both on the M Square Ranch, when she had valid Montana licenses to
hunt neither. Total possible penalties for the two crimes include a year in jail, $2,000 in
fines and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Griffith is charged with felony possession of a buck deer and bull elk that were killed by
Mark Morse in 2006 in violation of Montana law dealing with outfitter-sponsored
licenses. The law requires that the license be used only in the presence of the outfitter and
the charges contend that the outfitter, David Duncan, was not present when the animals
were killed. Griffith also is charged with putting his tag on a bull elk shot by Mark Morse
in 2007.

The total possible penalties for Griffith include $51,000 in fines, 5.5 years in prison and
loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Duncan is charged in Lewis and Clark County with two felony counts of tampering with
public records and a misdemeanor count of purchasing a Montana resident hunting
license while he was a resident of Utah. The charges accuse him of buying Montana
resident licenses in Helena using his parents' Cut Bank address, though he has lived in
Utah since 1998.

The felony charges accuse Duncan of falsifying required outfitter license documents,
applications for hunting licenses and client logs.

The total penalties for Duncan could include $101,000 in fines, 20.5 years in prison and
loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Powell is accused of illegal possession of two bull elk and four mule deer killed in Big
Horn County in November 2008. The combined value of the animals exceeds $1,000 so
Powell is charged with a felony. The crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in
prison, a $50,000 fine and loss of Montana hunting and fishing privileges.

Staton is charged with two misdemeanors in Big Horn County and one misdemeanor in
Yellowstone County in November 2008. He is accused of using his licenses to tag a deer
and an elk that he did not kill. And he is accused of possessing a mule deer that was
illegally killed in South Dakota. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in
jail and a $1,000 fine.

Additional charges are pending against 10 other people identified during the
investigation.