OGDEN (AP) -- Outfitter and former Denver Broncos football star Rulon Jones has pleaded not guilty to charges he illegally killed a moose.
Defense attorney Steve Laker entered the plea for Jones Thursday before Weber County Justice Court Judge Craig D. Storey. Jones was not in court for the arraignment.Jones is charged with three misdemeanors stemming from the shooting of a moose.
Prosecutors say the charges against Jones carry penalties of up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
The charges also jeopardize Jones' state permit that allows him an extended hunting season on his private land in exchange for allowing a few public hunters to hunt his property without charge.
The moose kill reportedly took place Nov. 3 in the Ogden Valley. The moose hunting season ended Oct. 31.
The hunter who allegedly shot the moose was not charged. The southern Utah man had drawn a public permit to hunt the moose on Jones' private property, but it was Jones' responsibility to provide information on when he could hunt, wildlife officials said.
Jones has said the shooting of the moose after the hunting season had closed "was an honest mistake."
The charges include aiding and assisting in the unlawful taking of protected wildlife, failure to properly post a cooperative wildlife management unit and failure to provide written guidelines to each holder of an authorization or permit.
Jones, who played football at Utah State, was a Bronco defensive end from 1980 to 1988.