HILLSBORO - Two men received fines and license revocation in Hillsboro Municipal Court for wildlife violations including taking deer with a rifle and hunting without permission according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
ODNR said their investigation found that after illegally shooting several deer on private property during the night of Jan. 8, Cody Patton, 20, of Hillsboro and Matt Leisure, 20, of Sabina, got the pick-up truck they were shooting from stuck in a crop field while trying to retrieve the downed deer.
Patton then attempted to have the landowner pull his truck from the muddy field. The landowner refused and reported the activity to Carnes. Upon further investigation, two deer carcasses were discovered in the bed of Leisure's truck and a search of Mr. Patton's residence produced five more carcasses, according to ODNR.
Patton pleaded guilty to seven charges of taking deer with a rifle and hunting without permission. He was ordered by Judge David McKenna to pay restitution on the six whitetail does and one buck totaling $5,122. The buck scored 143 4/8 exceeding the 125" limit and the restitution price of the deer, $3622, was determined under the 2008 revised restitution laws. His sentence also included a one-year hunting license revocation, forfeiture of the rifle used to kill the deer and the antlers of the deer. Patton was also ordered to pay $358 in court costs.
Leisure pleaded guilty to seven charges of taking deer with a rifle and hunting without permission. He was ordered by Judge David McKenna to pay $500 in fines for his part in the poaching. His sentence also included a two-year hunting license revocation and $358 in court costs.
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