By KENNETH HART - The Independent
ASHLAND — One of two men charged with killing more than 100 endangered bats at Carter Caves State Resort Park in the fall of 2007 intends to plead guilty to a federal charge.
Kaleb Dee Morgan Carpenter’s attorney, Matthew Warnock, filed a motion Tuesday in U.S. District Court requesting that a rearraignment hearing be scheduled for his client. Such a request is routine when a defendant plans to change his or her plea from not guilty to guilty.
Carpenter and his co-defendant, Lonnie Wales Skaggs, had been scheduled to stand trial Jan 7. Skaggs could still go to trial on that date if he does not plead guilty before then.
A pre-trial conference in the case is scheduled for today.
Carpenter and Skaggs were indicted Oct. 1 on one count each of violating the federal Endangered Species Act. The offense carries a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to $1,000.
The indictment alleged the two men entered Laurel Cave on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27, 2007 and killed a number of Indiana bats by crushing them with rocks, flashlights and their feet. The bats were hibernating at the time and were knocked from their perches and killed, authorities said.
Carpenter and Skaggs allegedly killed 23 bats the first time they were in the cave and 82 the second time, the indictment states.
The Indiana bat, also known as Myotis sodalis, is an endangered species.
The bat-killings led to the construction of metal gates at Laurel Cave designed to protect the animals during their hibernation, and to the posting of a $5,000 reward for information on the crimes. Bat Conservation International, a Texas-based organization devoted to the protection of bats, was one of several entities that contributed to the reward fund.
Laurel Cave is one of four at Carter Caves that is home to Indiana bats. All four locations have been deemed critical to the survival of the species.
