More than a year after initial evidence of poaching was discovered near Colorado Springs, soldiers have been convicted of related criminal charges.
According to a press release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the investigation into the poaching case started in November 2024 when a hunter contacted Fort Carson Law Enforcement Officers to report finding a mule deer buck that appeared to have been poached. Colorado Parks and Wildlife was called in to assist, and upon responding to the scene, wildlife officers found a dead buck that was partially processed with select cuts of meat removed, as well as its antlers. About 100 yards from the buck was a doe that had also been killed and partially processed. The remains of the animals were left to rot.
With evidence at both kill sites indicating illegal poaching likely took place, both crime scenes were processed amid a scene of fresh snow. Following physical evidence, authorities were able to identify a vehicle that was associated with the crimes, later uncovering social media images that identified Army Sergeant Jacob Curtis Keyser and Army Staff Sergeant Juan Salcedo as suspects in the case…