California couple expose smuggled turtle skull and more crimes to wildlife officials, leading to prosecution

    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) -- A California couple pleaded guilty after exposing a series of wildlife crimes, including illegally smuggling the skull of an endangered sea turtle, to state Fish and Wildlife officials on a flight in 2023.

Fish and Wildlife made the announcement this week. The department said that on a flight to Sacramento from San Diego, two plain-clothes officers were seated in front of a couple from Chico who were discussing hunting.

The officers engaged in a conversation with the couple who revealed that they illegally had the skull of an endangered green sea turtle in their luggage.

The couple also revealed that in addition to them illegally hunting a mountain lion, which is a protected species in California, a family member who lives in Napa County had multiple taxidermied mountain lions, wolves and a wolverine — all protected species illegal to possess.

Fish and Wildlife said the couple then showed the officers a video of the room where the animals were displayed in the Napa home.

Once they deboarded the plane and passed through TSA, the couple showed the officers the turtle skull, which they acknowledged was illegal to have in their possession, Fish and Wildlife said. The skull was wrapped in a jacket inside their carry-on luggage.

The officers later obtained signed search warrants for the couple's Chico home and the relative's home in Napa County.

At the couple's home, officers found that the couple was processing an illegally taken deer — deer season was closed at the time and Fish and Wildlife said the couple had no deer tags.

Inside the home, officers discovered mountain lion claws, a ringtail cat, a barn owl mount, an illegal spike buck and numerous other unlawfully taken deer. According to Fish and Wildlife, ringtail cats are another fully protected species in the state and are illegal to possess.

The owl was also illegal to possess without the appropriate permits.

Two illegally taxidermied mountain lions and one taxidermied wolverine were found in the relative's home in Napa. All animals and animal parts were seized from both homes.

Back in 2023, formal complaints had been filed against the couple — Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, and Shannon Lee Price, 28 — and Harry Vern Fitzpatrick, 64.

Poaching charges were filed by Butte and Napa county district attorneys while the other violations related to the unlawful possession of the sea turtle skull, owl and deer parts were handled by Fish and Wildlife.

In February 2024 in Napa County, Vern Fitzpatrick reached a plea agreement that saw him plead guilty to two Fish and Wildlife violations which resulted in a $605 fine and a six-month probation sentence, officials said.

Two months later, the couple, which reached a plea agreement in federal court, were each fined $1,000 for violating federal wildlife laws and regulations.

On January 30, 2025, other plea agreements were reached with the couple, Fish and Wildlife said. Lee Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to two Fish and Game violations, resulting in a $1,865 fine and a year of probation.

Lee Price pleaded guilty to one violation, resulting in a $1,015 fine and a year of probation.