Operation Night Cat – Episode 3: “A Duck’s a Duck” (Nov 20, 2025)

Podcast: Operation Night Cat
Host: Nate Hegyi (NHPR Document team & Outside/In)
Theme: Final episode in a three-part series uncovering a vast poaching and corruption case involving New Hampshire Fish and Game, state corrections officers, and the criminal justice system – and tracking how a promising investigation sputtered out amid bureaucratic inertia and institutional self-protection.

Episode Overview

In the conclusion to Operation Night Cat, Nate Hegyi leads listeners through the unraveling and ultimate stalling of one of New Hampshire’s biggest poaching and public integrity investigations. The episode revisits the wild beginnings—a backyard poaching ring involving state prison corrections officers—and highlights the missed opportunities and institutional failures as law enforcement agencies pass the buck and the most shocking alleged crimes go unpunished. Throughout, the episode keeps a raw and sometimes wry tone, juxtaposing the reality of the case against the expectations set by reality TV.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The “Alphabet Soup” Meeting: The Scope of the Investigation

[00:00–01:00]

• Fish and Game Warden Ron Arsenault is called to a multi-agency meeting in Concord featuring agents from the FBI, IRS, Postal Service, the DOJ, and more—so many “alphabets.”
• Investigators realize the ramifications extend from night hunting to potential federal crimes (cross-state wildlife trafficking, witness tampering, mail theft).

“It was just spiraling out and spider webbing every different direction. It was crazy.”
— Ron Arsenault [00:43]

The Poaching Charges: Big Case, Small Consequences

[01:13–07:12]

• Ron and colleagues uncover large-scale, night-time poaching: bobcats, foxes, black bears.
• Some officers involved are corrections employees—further discoveries include evidence pointing to mail theft and witness tampering inside prison.
• Agencies split the case: Fish and Game sticks to hunting violations, while feds eye the more serious parts (e.g., illegal bobcat trafficking).
• Despite the drama, there would be no big “TV arrest.” Ron methodically charges Tom Kelly (main perpetrator) with 47 infractions.
• Yet, when passed to prosecutors, the case is quickly plea-bargained down: 47 counts shrink to 7, with fines under $5,000 and only short hunting bans.

“I’m not gonna cut the guy a break. I’m just gonna write him for everything.”
— Ron Arsenault [06:56]

“For a county prosecutor, these charges are small potatoes.”
— Nate Hegyi [07:33]

Institutional Barriers and Lost Momentum

[07:13–10:34]

• Ron’s sense of justice is dulled as the seriousness of the case fades in the maze of bureaucratic priorities.
• The multi-agency approach causes siloing—no one keeps Ron or Fish and Game in the loop after initial handoffs.

“Once you basically ask for help, you lose your control of the case.”
— Ron Arsenault [07:19]

“I feel as though if I didn’t do my job, I would certainly hope somebody would be my squeaky wheel to keep me going.”
— Ron Arsenault [10:06]

The Corrections Connection: More than Poaching

[10:34–14:46]

• Sergeant Kevin Bronson recalls searching corrections supervisor Randy Inman’s house and discovering not just poaching evidence but “weed, mushroom grow,” and indications of mail-in drug sales involving his stepson.
• Text records suggest Randy traded prescription pills and helped hide/facilitate drugs within the prison parking lot.
• These red flags get handed off to the AG’s office—Fish and Game “not in their wheelhouse”—but ultimately result in no further criminal charges.

“It was surprising to me that somebody in law enforcement, where it’s illegal here, I’m smelling marijuana in the house.”
— Kevin Bronson [13:09]

Bureaucratic Delay and Feds Backing Off

[14:47–17:34]

• After promising beginnings, the federal and state investigations stall over procedural technicalities (a search warrant unsigned for months).
• When the warrant is executed, the FBI and USPS decline to pursue charges. State agencies, after receiving the case back, also suspend their investigations.

“What seemed to us … like an explosive set of allegations and evidence appears to have fizzled away.”
— Nate Hegyi [14:46]

Prosecutorial Standards vs. Reality

[17:34–20:30]

• Mike Lewis, former NH DOJ prosecutor, and Julian Jefferson, law professor/public defender, agree: the texts alone are inadequate for conviction but should have spurred more digging.
• Contrasts are drawn between aggressive prosecution of ordinary citizens for minor drug crimes and the leniency shown to authority figures.

“The texts alone are not enough, you know, but the texts are really concerning.”
— Mike Lewis [18:22]
“This feels unfair. This feels unbalanced.”
— Julian Jefferson [20:18]

Administrative “Accountability”—But No Real Consequences

[20:31–21:59]

• After declining to charge criminally, the Department of Corrections handles the fallout as HR matters.
  • Inman retires, keeping state pension.
  • Kelly is fired.
  • Massey (another CO) demoted.
  • “Accountability has been administrative rather than criminal.”

The Thread That Never Gets Pulled

[21:59–22:40]

• Ron is left waiting for the feds to indict wildlife crimes involving bobcats. Still, nothing comes.

Voices from Inside: Shannon Labella

[24:43–26:42]

• Inman’s ex-wife substantiates accounts of his drug use and violent tendencies, states her son (his stepson) had nothing to do with the mushrooms.
• Describes reckless hunting as expressions of “control, power, dominance” by Inman inside and outside the prison.

“It’s just disgusting in every way, and I’m disgusted I was ever a part of his life.”
— Shannon Labella [24:43]

"There is no job out there stressful enough that drives you to kill innocent things that have never harmed you a day in your life."
— Shannon Labella [26:42]

Systemic Accountability—Or Lack Thereof

[27:29–30:40]

• Dean Williams, corrections executive in Alaska and Colorado, is both alarmed and unsurprised reading the report. He’s seen this pattern before: both cost aversion and fear of embarrassment lead institutions to bury wrongdoing.
• A parallel is drawn with New Hampshire’s massive Youth Development Center abuse scandal: institutional self-protection at the expense of victims.

“If you start down the road and say … this is embarrassing to us. This is going to make us look bad, this is going to cost us some money ... it reinforces, this is the way we do business.”
— Dean Williams [29:50]

Ron’s Disillusionment

[30:40–34:18]

• Finality hits home for Ron Arsenault as Nate shows him the official report declaring no criminal charges will be pursued. He’s visibly tired, demoralized, wondering what all the work was for.

“It just makes me feel like there’s just no accountability.”
— Ron Arsenault [31:39]

“At the end of the day, I don’t know if I’d do it again … You just did all that work for what?”
— Ron Arsenault [31:58]

• He is given a citation letter from a US Senator—a symbolic recognition, useless in the face of institutional inertia.

“It’s just a letter with an award basically saying, you did a good job. I did my job.”
— Ron Arsenault [33:52]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It was just spiraling out and spider webbing every different direction. It was crazy.” — Ron Arsenault [00:43]
• “It’s like they’re playing grand theft auto behind their house, except with animals.” — Kevin Bronson [01:23]
• “You have them outrightly admitting that they stole my fucking legal mail. That’s a federal offense.” — Mike Lewis [02:04]
• “I’m not gonna cut the guy a break. I’m just gonna write him for everything.” — Ron Arsenault [06:56]
• “After going through all of it… at the end of the day, I don’t know if I’d do it again.” — Ron Arsenault [31:58]
• “Corrections is an interesting world… There’s a lot of pressure on corrections leaders to sort of bury things.” — Dean Williams [27:59]
• “This feels unfair. This feels unbalanced.” — Julian Jefferson [20:18]
• “At the end of the day, you did all that work for what?” — Ron Arsenault [31:58]

Important Timestamps (MM:SS)

• 00:43: Arsenault describes the scope and chaos of the case.
• 02:04: Mike Lewis highlights text messages admitting mail theft.
• 06:56: Arsenault explains his charging decisions—“no break”.
• 13:09: Bronson expresses shock at a corrections officer’s home full of drugs.
• 14:46: Nate summarizes the fizzling of promising charges.
• 18:22–20:18: Prosecutors and public defenders discuss evidence hurdles and fairness.
• 21:59: Administrative, not criminal, consequences.
• 24:43–26:42: Shannon Labella’s story of violence and abuse.
• 27:29–30:40: Dean Williams frames the systemic context—why institutions bury scandals.
• 31:39–34:18: Ron reads the state’s report, faces personal disappointment.
• 33:52: Ron’s reaction to receiving a Senator’s citation letter.

Conclusion

Operation Night Cat, Episode 3 is a poignant, often frustrating look at how even dogged law enforcement investigations can evaporate in the face of bureaucratic caution and institutional unwillingness to address embarrassing misconduct by authority figures. The episode moves deftly from gritty fieldwork and legal wrangling, to heartbreaking personal accounts and a systemic critique of public accountability—leaving listeners with a sense of how difficult it is to achieve “justice” when the hurdles are as much political as legal.
In the end, as Ron Arsenault quietly sums up, “a duck’s a duck”—and, all too often, the system is what it is.