In a story surrounding yet another serial poacher, a New York man ended up in cuffs earlier this month on allegations of poaching upwards of 30 deer. The unnamed man was arrested on August 6th by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) police after a lengthy investigation provided enough evidence for the arrest.
The arrest followed an investigation that began on November 7th of last year when a landowner reported hearing gunshots on county-owned property near Rikers Beach Road in Scriba.
State troopers initially responded to the scene, where they encountered two individuals claiming to be sighting in their rifles. However, DEC officer Armstrong, assisted by K9 Falcon, determined the area was unsuitable for target practice due to dense brush and lack of clear shooting lanes. Their continued search of the area soon uncovered a freshly killed, field-dressed buck, a gut pile, and a spent casing matching one of the rifles.
NY DEC K9 Officer Falcon
After uncovering the concealed and illegally killed buck, DEC officers pushed further into the investigation, including forensic analysis of a suspect’s phone, revealed photos, messages, and admissions linking the individual to the illegal killing of what officers suspect to be over 30 deer. The poaching activities caused significant harm to the local deer population, leading to rightfully harsh charges for the suspect. Oswego County Assistant District Attorney Gleason charged the accused with grand larceny, criminal mischief, criminal possession of a weapon, and illegally taking protected wildlife.
The case was presented to a grand jury, resulting in an indictment. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and is scheduled to appear in Oswego County Court.
