On Tuesday, a woman entered a guilty plea for her hand in killing more than 100 deer in Wisconsin.

Jessica Kroening, 37, pleaded guilty in Washington County court to charges of Intentionally Contributing to the Delinquency of a Child and Illegal Shining of Deer, Elk, or Bear as Party to a Crime. She also was charged with Resisting a Conservation Warden, but that charge was dismissed as part of her plea deal.

Kroening, along with three teens, were charged with illegally killing deer in three Wisconsin counties: Fond du Lac, Washington and Dodge. Additional charges included capturing and harassing other animals, such as geese and turtles, before releasing them. When authorities searched Kroening’s vehicle, they found rifles with the serial numbers scratched off as well as bloody tools, according to the criminal complaint. The criminal complaint also states the group hunted deer to make European mounts.

The poaching took place from spring 2023 to July 2024. Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt found during the investigation that Kroening and the teens would drive at night spotlighting fields and shooting deer from their vehicle. Most of the dead deer were left to rot where they laid. If the deer was a buck with large antlers, the head was removed and the body left to rot. Kroening and the teens would also intentionally strike deer with their vehicle. In one incident, a deer was severely injured but not killed. The teens stuffed the injured deer in the trunk of the vehicle while recording a video of the event, according to the criminal complaint. 

Kroening is scheduled to be sentenced May 2 at 2:00 p.m. She could serve up to 15 months in prison and pay up to $12,000 in fines for her role in the case.

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