Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Lying poacher to pay record amount for illegal take of trophy buck

Offender illegally harvested an 18-point trophy buck on private property he claimed to be his sister’s. Accomplices were also sentenced.

A poacher illegally harvested a trophy white-tailed deer buck on private property he falsely claimed belonged to his sister, resulting in the largest restitution value for a single white-tailed deer in Ohio history.

Christopher J. Alexander, 28, pleaded guilty to 14 counts related to the incident and was sentenced Thursday to pay the maximum restitution for the 18-point trophy buck amounting to $35,071.73, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The illegal take was in November 2023.

Restitution increased to $39,696.73 when $4,625 was added for a second unlawfully taken buck during the 2023 hunting season.

In addition, Alexander, of Wilmington, must pay $1,000 in fines, $1,000 to the Turn In a Poacher program, $2,000 in restitution to media outlets, and all court costs.

Alexander was also sentenced to complete five years of community control (probation) and serve six months at STAR Community Justice Center, a locked-down community-based correctional facility.

His hunting license was revoked for 10 years and he forfeited all the property seized as evidence, including the antlers.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Poacher doesn’t care to be ethical hunter, claims addiction to venison

One accomplice was Alexander’s sister, Kristina M. Alexander, who wrote a false letter of permission to hunt on her property that Alexander presented to wildlife officers after the deer was killed to mislead them, as reported by WHIO.

Kristina, 37, of Blanchester was charged for obstructing official business and aiding a wildlife offender. She was ordered to pay $500 in fines, $500 to the TIP program and court costs, and to serve 60 days in jail, suspended, and complete one year of monitored time supervision.

Other accomplices and sentences, as stated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources:

“Corey P. Haunert, 29, of Hillsboro, was charged for attempted tampering with evidence, aiding a wildlife offender in taking or possessing deer (three counts), hunting without permission, and falsification. He was ordered to pay $500 in fines; pay $500 to the TIP program; pay additional court costs; serve 90 days in jail, suspended; complete 200 hours of community service; and complete three years of community control. In addition, his hunting license was revoked for three years and he forfeited a tree stand and crossbow.

“Zachary R. Haunert, 31, of Lebanon, was charged for aiding a wildlife offender. He was ordered to pay $250 in fines; pay $250 to the TIP program; pay additional court costs; serve 60 days in jail, suspended; and complete one year of monitored time supervision.”

Among the counts Alexander pleaded guilty to were illegal taking or possession of deer (two), hunting without a license, hunting without a deer permit, selling illegally taken or possessed deer antlers, spotlighting, hunting without permission (four), tampering with evidence, theft, misdemeanor theft, and falsification.

Photo courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Girl’s record catfish sparks controversy; criticism appalls her mother

A 15-year-old girl landed what is being called the largest fish ever caught in Ohio, but the method used has created a huge debate.

A 15-year-old girl landed what is being called the largest fish ever caught in Ohio, but the method used and whether it was a legal catch has created a huge debate.

Jaylynn Parker caught a 101-pound blue catfish that was weighed and certified as legal by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which deemed it as a state record for the biggest fish caught since record keeping began in the 1950s, as reported by WJW.

Parker caught the catfish on a creek near the Ohio River while fishing with her father Chuck Parker and family friend Jeff Sams on April 7.

The fish was caught on a jug line (a large jug is placed in the water and connected to a tied line with a hook and bait), which is a legal method in Ohio.

The problem is, there is not a separate record division for jug fishing, and many Ohioan anglers believe it should be its own category, not be part of the division that includes rod and reel catches.

Not only that, one commenter on Outdoor Writers of Ohio claimed that the jug line catch was not legal.

Joe Owens pointed out on the OWO Facebook page that the jug lines were unattended, saying the mother admitted as much in a social media post when stating, “she went out to check the jugs…”

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife states, in regards to jug fishing, that “floats must be freely adrift and be attended by the user at all times.”

Joe Owens also reposted a social media post that claims the teen and her father weren’t even on the property when the jug went down, indicating a fish on the line.

Jaylynn’s mother, Kristen Powell Parker, came out swinging, defending her daughter and the catch, and condemning the “nasty comments,” writing on the OWO Facebook page:

“No laws were ever broken. We did everything 100% by the books. Those jugs were never unattended where they’re at our friends place where he stays !!

“And we totally understand about the categories. We all agree there should be different categories, but unfortunately there’s not and that is not our fault.

“So many nasty comments and hate that is coming out of this just really disgust me the amount of grown men that have reached out and said horrible nasty things to my daughter who is 15 is disgusting.

“Just to let everybody know as soon as the fish was brought to the shore, the game wardens were called right away. Adams Clermont and Brown County showed up !!!”

Later she wrote, “No matter how this pans out my daughter has still caught the biggest blue out of the river regardless!!”

Bottom line is, the Ohio Division of Wildlife certified the catch as a state record. But it is generally agreed that it needs to make a separate category for jug-line catches.

“It’s so exciting,” Jaylnn told WJW about the record catch. “I want to inspire young people my age to know they can get out there and do and achieve what adults do or anyone.”

One of Ohio’s largest criminal schemes involving deer closes

Fourteen people were convicted on 122 counts, including felonies and misdemeanors, in a case seeing search warrants executed in two states.

Fourteen people were charged with and convicted on 122 counts, including felonies and misdemeanors, as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife closed the adjudication phase of one of the state’s largest white-tail deer commercialization cases.

The list of charges included engaging in a pattern of corrupt activities, grand theft, falsification, tampering with records, possession of untagged deer parts, hunting with an illegal implement, and complicity to wildlife sales, according to ODNR.

The case included the illegal taking of deer and selling venison, and focused on A&E Deer Processing in Gallia County.

The defendants combined to pay $70,013.14 in fines and restitution, paid more than $6,700 in court costs and forfeited all the evidence seized during the execution of search warrants.

Collectively, they received a hunting license revocation totaling 63 years.

The maximum restitution to one individual was $20,000 with another paying $13,000. Multiple individuals received extensive hunting license suspensions.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Duck hunter fined $4,000 for violating 1930s regulation

In February 2020, five search warrants were executed in Gallia County by Division of Wildlife law enforcement with an additional search warrant conducted in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Wildlife officers and investigators conducted 22 interviews in Ohio and three in Pennsylvania to verify the alleged violations.