Boulder Elk Killers in Court

A pair of former Boulder police officers accused of planning and carrying out the New Year's Day shooting and disposal of a trophy elk on Mapleton Hill were formally charged this afternoon with four felonies and five misdemeanors apiece in the case.
   Sam Carter, 35, and Brent Curnow, 38, who resigned from the Boulder Police Department last month, appeared before Judge Noel Blum at the Boulder County Jail's courtroom today for their first court appearance in the case, which has drawn considerable outrage from the community.
   Both men were charged with two counts of tampering with physical evidence, a Class 6 felony, one count of forgery, a Class 5 felony, and one count of attempting to influence a public official, a Class 4 felony.
   Additionally, Carter and Curnow were charged with first-degree official misconduct, illegal possession of a trophy elk with a Samson Law surcharge, conspiracy to commit illegal possession of wildlife, unlawfully taking a big game animal out of season and unlawful use of an electronic communication device to unlawfully take wildlife. Those five charges are all misdemeanors.
  The duo, who were arrested Jan. 18 and released on $20,000 personal recognizance bonds, both appeared under advisement of private legal counsel.