Stan Kirkland from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission passed this on to me today. Thought I'd pass it on to you ....
VEVAY - Operating on a complaint call from an alert citizen, Indiana conservation officers from the Department of Natural Resources apprehended two Florida men early Tuesday morning on deer poaching charges in Switzerland County.
Lee Hunter, 43, of Perry, Fla., and Bobby Futch, 41, of Steinhatchee, Fla., each were charged with four counts of illegally taking deer and one count of using a spotlight to illegally take deer. The violations are Class C misdemeanors.
Hunter and Futch entered guilty pleas Wednesday in Switzerland County Circuit Court and face fines and court costs, $500 reimbursement per deer and forfeiture of their firearm.
The citizen who contacted law enforcement officials by phone after hearing gunfire from a nearby highway provided a vehicle description, direction of travel and information that one of the suspects exited the vehicle on foot.
A short time later, officers from the Vevay Police Department and Switzerland County Sheriff's Department observed a spotlight being shined from the suspect vehicle. They stopped the vehicle and found the driver, Hunter, in possession of a .22 magnum rifle and spotlight.
While interviewing Hunter, officers learned his accomplice, Futch, was on foot to remove the head of a male white-tailed they had just shot.
Indiana Conservation Officer Cpl. Steve Kinne located a freshly killed headless deer carcass near the scene, as well as a saw and the removed deer head. With assistance from Switzerland County sheriffs and K-9 units, Kinne determined Futch's direction of travel. Futch, who had fled on foot, was contacted via Hunter's cell phone and convinced to surrender to law enforcement officers.
Further investigation revealed the two men illegally killed an additional six deer in Indiana during November.
"They weren't killing the deer for the meat or for profit but just for the antlers," Kinne said. "It was just so they could take the antlers back to Florida and brag about the big deer they shot. The meat was going to waste."
Kinne credited interagency cooperation for making "a world of difference" in the investigation. Units assisting Indiana Conservation Officers were the Vevay Police Department, Switzerland County Sheriff's Department, and Indiana State Police.
Citizens are encouraged to call the Turn-In-A-Poacher hotline if they suspect illegal fish and wildlife activity or polluting. The toll-free number is 1-800-TIP-IDNR (1-800-847-4367). Reports also can be made online at TIP.IN.gov.
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