The sordid saga of a 28-year-old man and a poached potential state-record buck ended with Ohio officials handing down a severe sentence including incarceration, a hefty fine, forfeiture of hunting equipment and revocation of hunting privileges for at least a decade.
C.J. Alexander and three other accomplices were sentenced for aiding Alexander with a coverup after he allegedly shot a massive mainframe 18-point, 200-inch wild buck nicknamed “Megatron” in November 2023. Brothers Corey and Zachary Haunert, and Alexander’s sister, Kristina M. Alexander, pleaded guilty in October 2024 for their roles in the case. They were sentenced separately.
According to court records, Christopher J. “CJ” Alexander, 28, of Wilmington, Ohio, claimed he shot the buck in 2023 in Clinton County, Ohio, with a borrowed crossbow on 9 acres his sister owned. Before it was seized, the buck was scored by the Ohio’s Buckeye Big Buck Club, which uses the Boone and Crockett scoring system, and given a green score of 206 7/8 inches typical, along with a gross nontypical score of 235 7/8. The buck would’ve been the No. 1 typical in Ohio and potentially the No. 3 largest all-time buck on the Boone & Crockett list. Alexander stuck with his story for about a year, even after his story and photos were published and Ohio Department of Natural Resources investigators began looking into the situation.
In reality, the investigation turned up a plan to pursue the buck on 49 acres of private land on which Alexander didn’t have permission to hunt. The landowners of several large properties that bordered the land where the buck was killed also allowed little to no hunting. Text messages and GPS metadata uncovered during the ODNR investigation revealed dates, times, locations, calls, videos, social media and other information for Alexander and his accomplices. They showed that he and the others planned the hunt on which he killed the buck, and then the staged scene on his sister’s property to make it look like he killed it there. According to ODNR officials, Alexander would enter and exit the 49-acre property under the cover of darkness and sit all day. He would either park his vehicle in an inconspicuous place or be dropped off and picked up. He used a crossbow to kill the buck during legal shooting hours. Investigators also discovered there were other deer killed illegally which were included in the charges he was found guilty on, one of them being spotlighting. Alexander maintained his innocence throughout the investigation until October 2024, when he allegedly changed his mind.
“Hunting in Ohio is a time-honored tradition, and there is a proper way to be safe and successful,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a press release. “When bad actors like these guys try to cheat the system, it ruins the reputation of Ohio’s respected sportsmen and women – I can’t stand for that.”
For almost a year, Alexander stuck with his story. Officials said he profited from the illegal poaching by selling the antlers to an antler buyer, and the exclusive rights to his story to a national hunting magazine. He also tried to sell the story elsewhere, officials said, and signed a promotional agreement with a hunting company. Ohio DNR confiscated the antlers and other hunting equipment in late December 2023 when it formally began the investigation.
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Alexander was indicted in June 2024 on 23 charges. He ultimately pleaded guilty last October to 14 charges, including one felony count each of theft by deception and tampering with evidence. The 12 other charges – all misdemeanors – included hunting violations, falsification, jacklighting and the sale of wildlife parts.
Alexander’s sentence requires him to:
- Serve 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended and the other 90 days served at the Star Community Justice Center before he can be eligible for work release (his sentence also includes an up to 36-month suspended prison term that becomes active if community control is revoked)
- Serve five years of community control
- Pay $39,696.73 to the Ohio Wildlife Fund and $2,000 in restitution to KSE Sportsman Media, DBA Outdoor Sportsman Group-IM
- Pay $1,000 in restitution to the poaching hotline, a $1,000 wildlife fine and court costs
- Enter a four- to six-month community-based program through the Star Community Justice Center
- Write letters of apology to affected parties
- Forfeit all hunting-related property seized by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife as evidence
- Lose his hunting license for a minimum of 10 years; if full restitution is not paid by then, the license remains revoked until full payment is made.
Alexander’s accomplices were sentenced separately last October.
Corey Haunert, 29, of Hillsboro, Ohio, pleaded guilty to six charges, the most of the three accomplices. His sentence requires:
- Three years of community control.
- 90 days in jail (90 days suspended on the condition that he complete 200 hours of community service).
- A three-year revocation of his hunting license.
- Forfeiture of all hunting-related property seized as evidence.
- A $500 wildlife fine, $500 in restitution to the poaching hotline and court costs.
- An up to 18-month suspended prison term that may become active if his community control is revoked.
Kristina Alexander, 37, of Blanchester, Ohio, pleaded guilty to two charges. She was sentenced to one year of monitored time supervision, suspended jail sentence of 60 days, a $500 wildlife fine and $500 restitution fine to poaching hotline, and court costs.
Zachary Haunert, 31, of Lebanon, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one charge. He was sentenced the same as Alexander, although his fines were $250 each.
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