Judge upholds Dills family poaching conviction in Kootenai County

A Kootenai County judge has refused to set aside the June jury verdict against Angela Dills, keeping in place felony convictions tied to concealing evidence in a North Idaho poaching case. Angela Dills appeared in court Tuesday with her son, Daniel Dills, after defense lawyers asked the court to undo the jury’s decision.

The ruling leaves standing the mixed verdict reached June 13 after a weeklong trial in Coeur d'Alene. Jurors convicted Angela Dills and Daniel Dills of conspiracy to conceal evidence, but acquitted them of charges of conspiring to hunt and sell animal parts illegally. The concealment count is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

The case has stretched beyond the two people in court Tuesday. Earlier coverage identified Eddy Dills, Angela Dills and Daniel Dills as the defendants, and said the family was expected to stand trial in February on charges tied to alleged killings of bobcats and mountain lions in North Idaho. Prosecutors also alleged that Angela Dills did not kill animals herself but took credit for mountain lions and bobcats killed by her husband and son.

By denying the motion, the judge kept the jury’s finding intact and left the case moving toward the next procedural step, with sentencing set for Aug. 30. For Kootenai County game-law enforcement and prosecutors, the decision preserves a conviction that turns on what happened after the alleged kill, not only on the hunt itself.

That distinction matters in a county where hunting is part of the culture but wildlife laws are enforced closely. The verdict shows prosecutors can still pursue a serious felony when they believe evidence was hidden after an illegal take, even if jurors do not accept every broader allegation in the case. For hunters, outfitters and anyone handling wildlife in North Idaho, the message is that concealment can carry its own criminal exposure in Kootenai County court.