HARRISBURG – A two-year investigation by Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer Joe Wenzel came to a close as three New Hampshire residents recently were found guilty of unlawfully killing deer and assessed nearly $5,000 in fines and related costs by District Judge Jonathan Wilcox in Troy, Bradford County.
Russell W. Hammond, 43, and Paul L. Hammond, 51, both of Raymond, New Hampshire, were found guilty of unlawful taking and possession of game or wildlife and failure to report big game harvests, for which they were fined $825 each. In addition, they each were assessed a $500 restitution fee for the deer, $217 in restitution for DNA laboratory fees and $124 in court costs.
The third New Hampshire resident, Dean B. Nash, 51, of Epping, was found guilty of unlawful taking and possession of game or wildlife, and was fined $800. He also was assessed a $500 restitution fee for the deer, $217 in restitution for DNA laboratory fees and $62 for court costs.
The case stemmed from an investigation initiated by a confidential informant from a large meat processor in Bradford County in 2006.
“Processor employees found a muzzleloader slug in a deer that was allegedly harvested during the early archery season that year,” Wenzel said. “Recognizing a violation, these concerned citizens reported their finding. After I arrived at meat plant, it was discovered that two New Hampshire residents had dropped off multiple deer for processing. One of the deer was a five-point buck that was tagged on Oct. 12, 2006, as archery kill.”
Wenzel, assisted by Bradford/Susquehanna Counties Land Management Group Supervisor Rich Lupinsky, attempted to locate the group of hunters at area camps and motels. The deer tag and processing receipts were used to identify some of the hunters.
Wenzel then contacted New Hampshire Fish and Game officials for assistance. New Hampshire Conservation Officer Justin Ferland led the investigation in New Hampshire and was later assisted by CO Michael Matson.
“Thanks to New Hampshire officers, interviews were conducted with three individuals and evidence was viewed over the course of several months,” Wenzel said. “They also had numerous phone conversations with the hunter who tagged the deer in question.”
In September of 2007, the New Hampshire hunter agreed to turn over a broken arrow and a set of deer antlers to New Hampshire wildlife officers, who then provided the evidence to us for DNA testing by the Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory at East Stroudsburg University. The meat processor turned over the rifle slug and deer tag that had been retained at the meat plant.
On Aug. 28, 2008, the DNA laboratory completed their final testing to determine some discrepancies with the evidence samples that were submitted. It was apparent that some of the evidence may have been intentionally submitted to hinder the case. The evidence was picked up by Wenzel almost one year later to the date of submission.
After final review, Wenzel filed charges on the three individuals on Oct. 9, and a hearing was held on Oct. 22.
After a lengthy summary trial District Judge Jonathan Wilcox found the three defendants guilty in a case that is likely the first Game and Wildlife case prosecuted in Bradford County utilizing DNA testing