OLYMPIA, WA — A Grays Harbor County man has been resentenced to more than nine years in prison in connection with the illegal killing of multiple elk, marking what state officials say is the longest jail sentence for a big game case in Washington in at least a decade.

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Richard Loren Pratt was resentenced March 27 in Grays Harbor Superior Court to serve 116 months in prison, pay $10,000 in fines, and forfeit two firearms.

Pratt, who is a convicted felon, previously pleaded guilty to unlawful hunting of big game in the first degree, unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree, and wastage of wildlife.

The resentencing follows an earlier November 2025 decision that placed Pratt on a mental health sentencing alternative. That arrangement was later revoked after he failed to comply with its conditions, leading to the new sentence.

The case stems from a January 2023 investigation after five cow elk were found dead on a hillside south of Cosmopolis. Authorities said the animals had been shot with a high-powered rifle in an area closed to hunting, and there was no clear attempt to recover the meat.

Wildlife officers, working with the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office, spent months gathering evidence and seeking public assistance before identifying Pratt as a suspect. He was later encountered near the scene with firearms, including one linked to the poaching.