Bison case defendant heads software firm

Jeffrey Hawn due in court Monday for bond hearing

By Roger Fillion, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Jeffrey Scott Hawn is CEO of Attachmate Corp. based in Seattle.

The Texas man facing felony charges over the killing of 32 bison in Park County is the CEO of a $400 million global software company.

Jeffrey Scott Hawn, of Austin, turned himself in to Park County authorities on Monday on charges of theft, criminal mischief and cruelty to animals. He was released on $15,000 bail.

Hawn is accused of killing two of the bison himself and bringing in hunters who killed the other bison on March 19.

Investigators say the animals had strayed onto Hawn's land from a neighbor's ranch.

Hawn is due in court Monday for a bond appearance. His lawyer, Pamela Mackey, could not be reached for comment.

Hawn, 43, has roots in the worlds of high-tech, private-equity deals and business consulting. He currently sits atop the corporate ladder at Seattle-based Attachmate Corp.

The privately held company serves Fortune 1000 corporations - including AT&T, Credit Suisse First Boston and Raytheon - employs 1,100 and has offices around the world, according to its Web site.

The company's software allows corporate personal computers to hook up to mainframe computer systems. Attachmate also has a Houston-based business software unit called NetIQ, which Hawn also skippers.

An Attachmate spokeswoman said the company had no comment on the charges against Hawn.

Hawn took over as head of Attachmate after it was bought in 2005 by three private-equity firms: Francisco Partners and Golden Gate Capital, both in San Francisco, and Thoma Cressey Bravo, which has offices in Chicago and San Francisco.

According to the company Web site, Hawn previously worked as an operating partner at the investment firm JMI Inc., overseeing private equity acquisitions and operations. He also served as a senior vice president at Houston software maker BMC Software.