REXBURG — A 45-year-old local man has been sentenced to four years of probation after pleading guilty to killing a deer and leaving it to waste, but was given 60 days in jail for driving to court on a suspended license.
Nathan Lloyd Archibald was originally charged with one felony of unlawful possession of wildlife, as well as misdemeanor charges of hunting when privileges have been revoked, no appropriate game tag, two counts of unlawful taking of game animals, unlawful hunting with artificial light, and trespassing on private property of another to hunt.
Archibald accepted a plea agreement in March, in which, in exchange for a guilty plea to the felony charge, the state agreed to dismiss the remaining misdemeanor charges.
Another case against Archibald was dismissed, where he was charged with four felony counts of unlawful killing of an animal and nine misdemeanor counts similar to his recent arrest.
According to the agreement, each party would make their recommendations but overall recommend a sentence of probation of at least three years. The agreement was non-binding.
Archibald was arrested in October 2024 after an incident in December 2023, when a dead mule deer was found on private property in Madison County.
Idaho Fish and Game officers spotted a vehicle that drove near the dead deer and stopped it.
Archibald was identified as the driver, and officers spoke with him and his passenger. Archibald told the officers they were there looking for coyotes, and he was sweating on a cold December day.
The passenger later spoke with officers, telling them that Archibald had told him he had shot the deer earlier.
RELATED | Man arrested for illegally killing and leaving deer in Madison County
Attorneys’ recommendations
Archibald appeared before District Judge Steven Boyce on June 2 for his sentencing.
Madison County Prosecutor Rob Wood told the court that the state would follow the recommendation and requested that Archibald be sentenced to three years of probation. Wood also recommended an underlying sentence of two years fixed and two years indeterminate in case probation fails.
Boyce asked Wood what the amount would be for the restitution, and while he didn’t have the exact number ready, it would be around $10,000.
Archibald’s lawyer, Jim Archibald, spoke next, stating that there were still issues to be resolved regarding the restitution.
He said this is due to the type of animal and that his client believes he was licensed properly during some of the allegations against him.
Jim Archibald recommended that his client serve probation and that the judgment be withheld, given that this would be his client’s first felony conviction. He also recommended the suspension of any local jail time for his client.
According to
Idaho Code
, a withheld judgement is an option for defendants to have the charges dismissed or set aside upon successful completion of either probation or any treatment program.
Regarding his client’s pre-sentence investigation, Jim Archibald stated that the recidivism score was reported as an 11, indicating a low risk of reoffending.
Jim Archibald had concerns over the investigation, as it states that his client was blaming others for what happened when, in fact, he wasn’t.
“When I talked to him about it, he just explained, ‘I wasn’t trying to blame others. I was just trying to explain how I got here,’” Jim Archibald said.
The reasoning for the withheld judgment recommendation, Jim Archibald said, is that the conviction would impact his client’s business, as he is self-employed.
“I’m afraid for him that a felony conviction may further alter his business income,” Jim Archibald said. “If the court can withhold judgment and let him earn that through his period of probation, then he may be able to truthfully tell others that ‘No, I’m not a convicted felon.’”
Nathan Archibald had a chance to address the court and said, “I didn’t mean to portray that I was blaming others, and I take full responsibility for what I’ve done, and I apologize.”
Sentencing
Before handing down his sentence, Boyce addressed the defendant, stating that he had been watching this case closely, as numerous charges had been filed in connection with this case and the other.
Looking at the pre-sentence investigation, Boyce said while the recommendation for probation was there, it wasn’t a great recommendation.
Boyce said the investigator who wrote the report stated that they remained unconvinced that Archibald would follow the parameters of his probation.
However, due to this being his first felony conviction and possible protective factors being set in place, the investigator did recommend probation.
Boyce told Archibald his criminal history was concerning. He said that 18 years ago, Archibald’s first fine was in Cassia County for unlawfully hunting a big game animal without a tag.
There were other offenses from 2007 to 2023 involving similar crimes related to the unlawful hunting of animals. During this period, charges for grand theft and driving without privileges were dismissed but remain on the record.
Boyce sentenced Archibald to probation for four years after suspending his prison sentence, which was two and a half years fixed and two years indeterminate. Withheld judgment will not be granted until Archibald completes his probation.
Archibald will be required to serve 100 hours of community service and pay $500 in court costs, as well as a civil fine of $2,000. Restitution will be decided at a later date.
A 180-day discretionary jail term was also imposed and Archibald’s hunting license was suspended for 10 years, and he cannot accompany others who are hunting.
Again, Boyce expressed his concern about Archibald’s past behavior. He said, “You haven’t really properly been deterred from what I see is just a very cavalier pattern of kind of doing what you want, whether you have a license to do it or not.”
Boyce said that due to this impression, any violations of fishing, hunting or driving without a license would be considered a violation of his parole.
“If you violate felony probation, you’re going to lose your opportunity to get that withheld judgment. So you need to comply with all those terms,” Boyce said.
Boyce reasoned this stipulation is due to a portion of the pre-sentence investigation mentioning that Archibald’s driver’s license is currently suspended.
“He stated, ‘He’s aware of the suspension,’ but still drove to the District 7 probation and parole office for his pre-sentence interview. I’m just thinking, who drives for the (pre-sentence investigation) without a license and then says, ‘Yeah, I don’t have a license, but I drove here’?” Boyce said.
Boyce then informed Archibald that the bailiffs had told him they had seen the defendant drive to the court for this sentencing.
“You drove yourself here to this sentencing today still on a suspended license, which makes me question whether you are capable of following rules of probation,” Boyce said.
Boyce said in the matter of deterrence, fines haven’t done their job of deterring Archibald from this behavior. For this reason, Boyce sentenced Archibald to 60 days in the local jail before his probation.
“I want to drive home the point of how serious it is for you to follow all these rules and regulations,” Boyce said. “I’d like an opportunity (to grant withheld judgment) to let you get this felony off your record, but I simply don’t think you’re ready to do that at this point.”
