FIVE MARION MEN CHARGED IN ALLEGED POACHING RING
Five individuals charged with 114 wildlife violations
COLUMBUS, OH – Five Marion-area residents were charged with a total of 114 wildlife violations today in Marion County Municipal Court, following an investigation into an alleged regional poaching ring.
The five suspects are accused of poaching deer and other animals in multiple counties, as part of a ring based in Marion County, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Marion County Wildlife Officer Bill Runnels and other division officers and investigators searched multiple area locations in recent weeks, confiscating the remains of more than 30 buck deer, 14 raccoons, two wild turkeys, and one beaver.
As a result of these searches, the five were charged with a variety of misdemeanors, including possession of deer taken contrary to Division of Wildlife rules, hunting deer with the aid of a spotlight (spotlighting), possession of untagged deer, deer-tagging violations, possession of untagged wild turkeys, and possession of raccoons and beaver taken during the closed season.
If convicted, the suspects face possible fines and jail time. A first-time wildlife offense involving the taking or possession of deer could result in fines of up to $500 and a maximum of 60 days in jail. Violators may also be required to pay restitution for illegally taken animals, at a minimum of $400 per deer, $300 per turkey and $50 for each fur-bearing animal. Firearms used in the violations may be ordered forfeited.
The Division of Wildlife was made aware of the Marion County situation through a series of anonymous phone calls to the Turn in a Poacher, or T.I.P., hotline. People observing wildlife violations may report illegal activity by calling the hotline at 1-800-POACHER.
Suspects and charges in Marion County are:
David McKinley, 20, of Marion – purchasing a hunting license by fraud, tagging the deer of another, checking the deer of another, and providing false information to a check station
Joshua Stone, 29, of Marion – purchasing a hunting license by fraud (2 counts), hunting deer without a license, plus tagging the deer of another, checking the deer of another and providing false information to a check station in Delaware County
Dustin Freeman, 19, of Marion – spotlighting (6 counts), failure to tag a deer, failure to check a deer, possession of deer taken contrary to division rule, and possession of untagged turkey parts
Robert Freeman, 42, of Marion – spotlighting (6 counts), taking a deer by unlawful means (4 counts), failure to tag a deer (3 counts), failure to check a deer (3 counts), overbagging on buck deer (3 counts), attempting to overbag on bucks, possession of untagged deer parts (4 counts), possession of beaver and raccoons during closed season and possession of untagged turkey parts
David Jones, 31, of Marion – purchasing a hunting license by fraud (2 counts), hunting without a hunting license, taking a deer during closed season, possession of untagged deer parts (19 counts), overbagging on buck deer (7 counts), taking a deer by unlawful means (3 counts), failure to tag a deer (6 counts), failure to check a deer (6 counts), and possession of deer taken contrary to division rule (14 counts)