Florida Poachers Caught in Brown County

[Ten Bears]

Under the current train of thought around here I expect nothing more then a unilateral call for the outlawing of ownership of pickup trucks, rifles, and ATVs in the state of OHIO. Maybe just the banishment of Floridians from Ohio.

A group of Florida men had a 'sporting' weekend that took a dramatically different turn Monday when their killing spree, shooting Ohio deer, landed them behind bars. In a story you'll see only on Local 12, Reporter Rich Jaffe says investigators want to know what connection the alleged poachers have to a prominent Brown County businessman.
Investigators say possibly for weeks, these rainy windswept fields in Brown County have been a killing ground for groups of poachers from Florida hunting with rifles.

Allan Wright, Division of Wildlife: "This is probably 12, 13 guys now that we've contacted all from Cross City, Florida and they come up in groups of four, and they're killers. They like to kill deer, and they have no regard for the law."

Calls from concerned citizens alerted authorities to groups of the killers rotating in and out of this mobile home. "About 6:00 am Monday hours of long, wet surveillance paid off for the Division of Wildlife Officers when the suspects came out of this mobile home got into their truck and headed down a dirt road to that long barn. Officers say they were planning on killing yet more deer, but when the officers got into that barn and arrested the suspects what they found was less of a barn and more of a slaughterhouse."
"There's a big doe hanging from the first beam going across, as you get closer to the barn you notice an odor of rotting flesh. When you get within probably a hundred feet of the barn you can start seeing some deer laying there." Authorities say most of the deer are bucks, with just the antlers cut off, the bodies left to rot.
In court Monday afternoon, the four alleged poachers faced at least 11 wildlife violations. Their weapons, truck and four wheeler have been confiscated. The case is identical to one last year. Both cases taking place on property owned by Brown County businessman Tom Sawyer.

Tom Sawyer, Property Owner: "They're not supposed to be doing that, no, yeah I do not allow that whatsoever."
Why did you bail out the guys that were doing the same thing last year?
"That's my own business if you want any more you need to talk to my attorney."

Investigators say in both cases the poachers gleefully video taped themselves killing the animals. Tom Sawyer, the owner of the property, tells us he knows the alleged poachers because he has a winter home in Cross City, Florida. He also says he had no knowledge the men intended to break the law. Right now it is bow season for deer in Ohio. Ohio does have a shotgun season but rifles are illegal.

http://www.wkrc.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=33271E08-4A93-4827-AF37-91BAADB46F92