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Montana politics, elections and legislative news

Downing Pleads Guilty To Hunting License Violations

Troy Downing at the Republican Senate primary debate in Helena, April 26, 2018.
Troy Downing at the Republican Senate primary debate in Helena, April 26, 2018.

A former U.S. Senate candidate accused of buying less-costly in-state hunting and fishing licenses when he was not a Montana resident has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors as part of a deal with prosecutors.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports Troy Downing pleaded guilty Wednesday to obtaining resident hunting licenses as a non-resident and unlawfully procuring a license or permit. Those offenses happened between 2011 and 2016.

The pleas came less than a week after a motion to dismiss some of the charges was denied.

Downing, who unsuccessfully ran for this year's Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in November, was ordered to pay a $2,110 fine and any court fees. He argued the case was based on mistakes made by accountants who prepared his taxes listing him as a California resident.

Investigators have characterized Downing's time in Montana as "seasonal at best" during the years at issue.

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