Ohio Man Sentenced for Shooting at Game Wardens While Coyote Hunting

A former Ohio resident who was accused of opening fire on a game warden in Pennsylvania has finally had his day in court. Pleading guilty to multiple crimes, 44-year-old Roman Kartsev was first charged last fall after an incident in Pike County, Pennsylvania.

Towards the end of November of last year, Game Warden Patrick Sowers and Deputy Ron Tussel were doing routine stops on the first day of deer rifle season when suddenly, bullets started flying past their heads. Sowers wrote the hunter and two officers “hit the ground taking cover behind the patrol vehicle while I watched low hanging branches falling around us after getting hit by gun fire with the loud snapping sound of bullets flying by at an extremely close distance around us to include the occasional ricochet off the ground consistent with the ‘fizzle’ sound bullets make when they tumble through the air.”

The warden was able to safely seek refuge inside his cruiser and immediately turned on the siren to alert the wood-be shooters of his presence. According to court documents, his actions stopped the barrage of bullets, prompting him and his deputy to investigate their origin. 

Kartsev and another man were holed up in a wooded area when the warden came upon them. Sowers instantly noticed that Kartsev was adorned in an orange hat, full body armor and a pistol on his hip. His accomplice was wearing an orange vest, had a ballistic helmet atop his head and was carrying an AK-47-style rifle. In addition to the bizarre use of body armor, the officers also noted that the use of pistols and AK-47-style weapons are not permitted for deer hunting in the state of Pennsylvania.

Questioning their appearance, court documents revealed that Kartsev stated he was wearing body armor to protect himself from getting shot by another hunter. The oddly-dressed pair went on to tell the warden that they had assumed they were shooting at coyotes, but didn’t go into the woods to determine whether or not they hit one, or anything else for that matter. 

Kartsev maintained that he and his partner in crime were unaware of any game wardens in the area and “are not that stupid” to fire at them. Despite the claim, their reckless behavior landed them in hot water and a plethora of charges.

Pennsylvania court records show Kartsev pleaded guilty to charges of possession of criminal instruments, hunting without securing a license, violations of retrieval disposing of game/wild, discharge of a firearm or arrow at random, using a semi-automatic rifle or pistol and violating the rules and regulations of the game commission. 

Kartsev was ordered to serve 12 months of probation and had his hunting privileges suspended by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.