Feb 15, 2007
By Daniela Velazquez - DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Two men were arrested on charges of hunting in the dark early Wednesday
morning.
Deputies found an unoccupied pickup truck in the Millstone Plantation
neighborhood about 5 a.m. with an eight-point deer in the bed of the
truck, a spotlight and a rifle in the front-seat area, spokesman Chris
Chase of the Leon County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies were called to the area when a neighbor noticed a spotlight
in his yard and heard gunshots. He then saw two men walking around his
lawn with flashlights get into a truck and drive away. They later found
the men coming out of the woods. Their names are not being reported
because the case is a misdemeanor.
This is the second case in Leon County that the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission has seen in Leon County in the past two
weeks, said Lt. Kent Harvey. His agency assisted in Wednesday's arrests.
"It makes the animal an easy target. It's not an ethical or moral way
to take an animal. When you shine (the spotlight) in their eyes it
blinds them. That's why they stop; they can't see," he said.
The two men were taken to the Leon County Jail on misdemeanor charges
of night hunting and reckless display of a firearm.
Harvey said people are eligible for up to a $500 reward if they
report illegal hunting through the Wildlife Alert program at (888)
404-3922. The caller can remain anonymous.
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