Montana
Montana man used animal tissue and testicles to breed ‘giant’ sheep for sale to hunting preserves – The Boston Globe
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) â A Montana rancher illegally used tissue and testicles from wild sheep killed by hunters in central Asia and the U.S. to breed âgiantâ hybrid sheep for sale to private hunting preserves in Texas, according to court documents and federal prosecutors.
Arthur âJackâ Schubarth, 80, of Vaughn, Montana pleaded guilty to felony charges of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife during an appearance Tuesday before a federal judge in Great Falls. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Court documents describe a yearslong conspiracy, beginning in 2013, in which Schubarth and at least five other people sought to create “giant sheep hybrids” by cross-breeding different species. Their goal was to garner high prices from hunting preserves where people shoot captive trophy game animals for a fee.
Using biological tissue obtained from a hunter who killed a wild sheep in Kyrgyzstan belonging to the world’s largest species of the animals â Marco Polo argali sheep â Schubarth procured cloned embryos of the animal from a lab, according to court documents.
The embryos were later implanted in a ewe, resulting in a pure Marco Polo argali sheep that Schubert named âMontana Mountain King,â the documents show. Semen from Montana Mountain King was used to artificially impregnate other ewes to create a larger and more valuable species of sheep, including one offspring that he reached an agreement to sell to two people in Texas for $10,000, according to the documents.
Male argali sheep can top 300 pounds with horns up to 5 feet long, according to officials, making them prized among some hunters. They are protected under international convention as a threatened species and outlawed for import into Montana to protect native sheep from disease and hybridization.
A person who was not named in court documents shipped 74 ewes of a prohibited sheep species from Minnesota to Schubarthâs ranch to be artificially inseminated with Montana Mountain King semen, the documents show. Offspring that had only a portion of the central Asian sheepâs genetics sold for lesser amounts.
In 2019, Schubarth paid $400 to a hunting guide for testicles from a trophy-sized Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep killed in Montana. Schubarth extracted semen from bighorn sheep testicles and used it to breed large bighorn sheep and sheep crossbred with the argali species, the documents show.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Todd Kim described Schubarth’s actions as âan audacious scheme to create massive hybrid sheep species to be sold and hunted as trophies.” Kim said the defendant violated the Lacey Act that restricts wildlife trafficking and prohibits the sale of falsely labeled wildlife.
Schubarth said when reached by telephone on Wednesday that his attorney had advised him not to talk about the case.
âI would love to talk about it but canât do it now,â he said. His attorney, Jason Holden, did not immediately respond to telephone messages seeking comment.
Authorities agreed under the terms of a plea deal not to pursue further charges against the defendant pending his cooperation in the governmentâs ongoing investigation in the wildlife trafficking case.
Montana Mountain King is in the custody of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to Department of Justice spokesperson Matthew Nies. As part of the plea deal, Schubert agreed to quarantine any other sheep containing Marco Polo argali genetics and any bighorn sheep that were harvested from the wild.
The deal also allows federal wildlife officials to inspect and, if needed, neuter the animals.
Captive animal facilities where game species can be raised and hunted were banned in Montana under a 2000 ballot initiative. But they remain legal in some other states.
Schubarth’s 215-acre ranch is state-licensed as an alternative livestock facility, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Greg Lemon. It was grandfathered in when the 2000 ballot initiative passed and has continued to operate, although hunting is prohibited, Lemon said.
Sentencing for Schubarth is set for July 11 before U.S. District Judge Brian Morris.
Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – On October 28, 2025, a Missoula Police Department Officer was dispatched to a possible physical disturbance at Council Grove Apartments. The caller, 41-year-old Danielle Auwen, reported someone was beating up her “baby-daddy.” The officer arrived on scene and contacted Auwen. The officer confirmed there was no threat or physical disturbance taking place.
Auwen advised that she heard people taunting her from inside the walls of the apartment and was shaking and stuttering. The officer observed that Auwen was displaying signs of paranoia due to drug intoxication. Dispatch advised that Auwen was previously permanently trespassed from the Council Groves Apartments.
Another officer advised that the apartment manager wanted Auwen removed and charged. Auwen advised that she was aware of the trespass, but stated she thought it was cancelled. Another officer pointed out trespass paperwork was taped to the front door of the apartment where Auwen was located. Auwen was arrested and asked the officer to grab her bag.
Officers Searched Her Bag at the Jail
The officer determined Auwen was on probation and contacted the Probation and Parole Office. The on-call Probation Officer requested that Auwen be violated for a probation violation and search the bag Auwen requested be brought to the jail. During a search of the bag, the officer located eleven yellow pills, determined to be Gabapentin. The officer contacted the PO, who advised Auwen was not prescribed Gabapentin.
According to court documents, Auwen currently has an open case and a pending Petition to Revoke in Montana’s Fourth Judicial District Court before the Honorable Leslie Halligan. Given that Auwen is now charged with an additional felony, while violating her conditions of release by Missoula County District Court and her conditions of probation, the State requested a warrant in the amount of $25,000 be issued for Auwen’s arrest.
READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports
Auwen is currently being charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal trespass to property. According to the jail roster, her bond was set at $50,000 for a probation violation and $25,000 for the drug charge.
The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.
Cities with the most UFO sightings in Montana
Gallery Credit: Stacker
HELENA — When President Donald Trump announced a plan last week to import more beef from Argentina, it drew quick criticism from ranchers in Montana. Now, Montana’s members of Congress say they’re pushing the administration to change course.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines told MTN he quickly began hearing from Montanans in the cattle business after reports came out about Trump’s plan.
“The word I would describe is they feel betrayed,” he said.
(Watch the video to hear more reaction from Montana’s congressional delegation.)
Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import beef from Argentina
Daines said Montana beef producers have already been under pressure from drought and market forces. He said this step was “an unforced error” by the administration.
All four members of Montana’s congressional delegation are Republicans. They all say the Republican president’s plan was the wrong direction and that they’ve made that case when speaking with administration leaders.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who represents Montana’s western congressional district, says he understands why Trump wanted to tackle high beef prices, but that this wasn’t the right way for him to do it.
“Having a healthy cattle industry, having a healthy poultry industry and having a healthy supply chain for food is really national security,” he told MTN. “So he understands that, and I think we’re going to see some action in making sure or calming a lot of the fears from the cattlemen out there.”
Earlier this year, Daines visited Argentina and met with its conservative president, Javier Milei, during a South American tour advocating for Trump’s trade policies. He said his opinions on the country and its government don’t play any role in his feelings on this proposed deal.
“I don’t care if this is Argentinian beef or beef coming from anywhere else in the world,” he said. “The answer for what’s going on right now in the markets is not to import more beef – bottom line. It doesn’t matter where it comes from; it happens to be Argentina.”
Daines said it would be better for Montana’s cattle industry for the U.S. to focus on opening export markets rather than import markets. In 2017, Daines celebrated an agreement that led to China buying millions of dollars in Montana beef – but he said Thursday that the country has shut the doors to American beef during the ongoing trade dispute with the Trump administration.
“We were shipping over $1 billion a year in beef last year, and now it’s gone to zero,” he said.
In a statement to MTN, Sen. Tim Sheehy said he’s been talking with Trump and his team, looking for a path forward.
“Empowering hardworking ranchers who feed America and lowering prices for American families at the grocery store are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “Both can be accomplished by lowering input costs and providing a reliable, pro-growth environment for producers so ranchers can grow their operation, capture more of the value they create, and feed the nation with affordable, healthy, high-quality beef.”
Zinke and Daines say they also see areas where the federal government can make moves that will benefit both Montana ranchers and Montana consumers. Daines wants Congress to do more to tackle the huge market share four large packing companies have in the beef industry – a situation he calls a “monopoly.”
“Our ranchers don’t set the price; that price is set for them,” he said.
Zinke wants to put additional emphasis on country-of-origin labeling for beef.
“In Montana, we have a brand and that brand has value,” he said. “When it’s made in Montana, you know it’s at the top, the quality is there. And our ranchers sell premium product – that’s important.”
Daines said he supports country-of-origin labeling also, though he wants to make sure any additional steps the U.S. takes doesn’t lead to unintended consequences or retribution from countries like Canada.
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