2 NE Minn. men accused of lying about killing wolves

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Two northeastern Minnesota men face a federal indictment for allegedly killing two gray wolves and lying to investigators.

Fifty-four-year-old Vernon Lee Hoff and 31-year-old Kyler James Jensen, both of Finland, Minn. are charged with conspiracy, violating the Endangered Species Act, and making false statements to a federal officer.

The indictment alleges that in February 2010, after Jensen purposely killed the wolves with his vehicle, he and Hoff conspired over the phone to transport the carcasses to Superior National Forest. Jensen allegedly drove to the forest and used a bulldozer to bury the wolves.

At the time, the gray wolf was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. It was removed from that list in Minnesota last January.

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