CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : KING CITY : Couple Sentenced in Big Game Hunts

A Monterey County couple convicted of violating state endangered-species laws when they ran illegal exotic cat hunts were sentenced to a total of 180 days in jail and 200 hours of community service. Floyd Lester Patterson III, 35, convicted of 35 misdemeanor counts, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, fined $28,200 and ordered to serve three years probation. Dawn Patterson, 31, was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service, pay $14,100 in fines and serve three years probation. Dawn Patterson was convicted of seven misdemeanor counts. The charges stem from the operation of wild game hunts on the Patterson’s sprawling ranch. Hunters were charged $3,500 to kill exotic cats, take photographs with the dead animals, then take home the stuffed skins, investigators charged.