Nighttime photo of white-tailed deer by Flickr user Ian T. Edwards. Published under Creative Commons license.
Four young Delaware County hunters have been arrested and charged with 85 violations of environmental conservation law that range from deer jacking to illegal firearm discharge.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced the arrests Wednesday, the result of a month-long investigation into illegal and out-of-season hunting in the area that occurred in both 2011 and 2012.
In total, the DEC maintains, the suspects poached 11 deer in Delaware and Schoharie Counties, eight of them shot at night between September 3 and September 24, 2012. Two were taken during the 2011 hunting season.
Arrested on November 4 were 19-year-old Daniel Tompkins of Stamford, 19-year-old Matthew Jaquish of Stamford, 21-year-old Jonathan Brill of Stamford, and Kurt Eckert Jr. of Harpersfield.
From a press release issued by the DEC:
The investigation revealed that 11 illegal deer were taken, with eight being shot at night between Sep. 3 to 24. Two of the illegal deer were taken during the 2011 hunting season.
Daniel G. Tompkins (19) from the town of Stamford was charged with the following ECL misdemeanors: nine counts of taking a deer with the aid of an artificial light (also called deer jacking), nine counts of possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, nine counts of discharging a firearm over a public highway, and two counts of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.
Additional ECL violations Tompkins was charged with include the following nine counts of taking wildlife with the aid of a motor vehicle, nine counts of taking wildlife from a public highway, one count of failing to maintain taxidermy records, and two counts of illegally taking wildlife/possession of wildlife except as permitted. The tickets are returnable in the towns of Gilboa, Jefferson, Harpersfield, and Kortright.
Matthew Jaquish (19) from the town of Stamford was charged with the following ECL misdemeanors: four counts of taking a deer with the aid of an artificial light, five counts of possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, and one count of discharging a firearm over a public highway.
Jaquish was charged with additional ECL violations including: five counts of taking wildlife from a public highway, five counts of taking wildlife with the aid of a motor vehicle, and one count of taking wildlife out of season. The tickets are returnable in the towns of Gilboa and Jefferson.
Jonathan W. Brill (21) from the town of Stamford was charged with the following ECL misdemeanors: two counts of taking a deer with the aid of an artificial light, three counts of illegally taking whitetail deer, and one count of possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle. He was also charged with the violation of taking wildlife from a public highway. The tickets are returnable in the towns of Jefferson, Harpersfield, and Kortright.
Kurt P. Eckert Jr. (19) from the town of Harpersfield was charged with the following ECL misdemeanors: two counts of illegally taking whitetail deer and one count of possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle. Eckert was charged with additional ECL violations including: one count of taking wildlife with the aid of a motor vehicle and one count of failing to report a whitetail deer take to DEC. The tickets are returnable in the town of Harpersfield.
Taking a deer with the aid of an artificial light and illegally taking whitetail deer both carry a potential fine of $250-$2,000 and up to one year in jail.
Possession of loaded firearm in a vehicle, the discharge of a firearm over a highway, and the discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a residence all carry a potential penalty of $200-$1,000 and up to 60 days in jail. All violations carry a fine of up to $250 and 15 days in jail.
Individuals are encouraged to contact DEC with any reports of suspicious hunting behavior using our 24-hour dispatch hot line at 1-877-457-5680.
