The
Smokinggun has the first official report in the Cheney incident, from the Texas Parks and Wildlife service. It explicitly states:
Was a game law violated? Yes
If so, what section? P & W code 43.652
This Section concerns the stamp that is required, as of this year, to hunt certain birds in TX. Cheney didn't have one. This Misdemeanor must be punished by "A fine of not less than $25 or more than $500." Insignificant, right? Wrong. More Below.
The "Justice of The Peace Manual" (TX), further states that
"each fish, bird, animal, reptile, or amphibian or part of a fish, bird, animal, reptile, or amphibian taken, possessed, killed, left to die, imported, exported, offered for sale, sold, purchased, attempted to be purchased, or retained in violation of any provision of this code or a proclamation or regulation adopted under this code constitutes a separate offense."
Now, say Cheney bagged as many as he did back in 2003, 70, and was fined the max of $500 per infraction (I know, I'm a dreamer), that would total $35,000. Not to mention the fact that the police would have no way of knowing how many birds Cheney had, since they weren't allowed to interview him for almost a day.
I have one lingering question for the legal types out there: Does the fact that Cheney shouldn't have been hunting in the first place open him up to further culpability?