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Ohio Poacher Receives Severe Sentence After Illegally Harvesting 3 Deer

An Ohio court has sentenced a poacher to pay $1,203 in fines and court costs after illegally killing three white-tailed deer earlier this year.

The hunter also lost hunting privileges for three years in Guernsey County, OH.

As of now, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has not released the name of the hunter.

The hunter forfeited the deer and rifle to the state. Later, the deer were processed and donated to a local food bank.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, state wildlife officers Anthony Lemle and Logan Armbrister were dispatched in November during the deer-archery season to investigate a hunter complaint via the 1-800-POACHER hotline.

The tipster reported hearing multiple gunshots. Officers assumed a hunter was poaching deer nearby.

After neighbors heard gunshots, officers visited the property and found the dead deer. The suspect had shot both deer with a rifle.

The suspect returned to the camp later with a second buck strapped to their vehicle. The criminal also shot the deer with a rifle.

ODNR officials disclosed that the criminal, a felon prohibited from possessing a firearm, admitted to killing all three deer with a rifle.

Officers seized the rifle, ammunition, and deer as evidence.

Suspect Pleads Guilty to Killing Deer with Rifle

Officers cited the suspect through the Cambridge Municipal Court for illegally taking the three deer and killing a second buck. He later plead guilty to all of the charges.

ODNR is asking all Ohioans to report any potential poachers through the hotline, 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437).

This incident comes after a string of recent poaching activities, leaving officers to get creative to stop the illegal acts.

In Kentucky, officers arrested James Malone after he was caught spotlighting a deer, WDRB reports.

However, officials used a robotic deer in order to catch the criminal in the act.