The three servicemen on the chopper were eventually charged in Sweet Grass County Court with trespassing. They all pleaded not guilty. This week, pilot Deni Draper changed his plea to “no contest,” allowing sentencing to go forward without a trial (but without actually admitting guilt).

According to local reporting, prosecutors had evidence that “no trespassing signs were posted on McMullen’s property” and that “Draper admitted to Montana game warden Austin Kassner that he piloted the helicopter and decided to land it.” In addition to the neighbor’s testimony, “helicopter tire indentations and exhaust marks in the grass” were present at the site of the alleged landing.

The judge has accepted the change of plea and hit Draper with a $500 fine—the maximum penalty. So long as Draper stays out of trouble for the next six months, he will avoid further fines and jail time.

As for the antlers themselves, they are currently held by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks but could go back to McMullen once cases against the other two servicemembers are resolved.

Update: According to a report this week in the Livingston Enterprise, this is not the first time Montana National Guard aircraft have stopped to take antlers.

“By way of a thorough inquiry, we can confirm isolated incidents of collecting antlers (with a military aircraft) have occurred previously,” Lt. Col. Thomas Figarelle of the Montana National Guard told the paper.

Figarelle added that the Guard has now explicitly banned this kind of activity. “(The Montana Army National Guard) issued clear directives no antler collecting of any type is authorized,” he added. “This is misuse of government property inconsistent with our standards. We are not going to tolerate it.”