BearHunter
04-07-2004, 04:54 AM
Two N.C. teens face deer hunting charges
By JEFFREY S. HAMPTON , The Virginian-Pilot
© April 6, 2004 | Last updated 9:35 PM Apr. 5
BODIE ISLAND — Two Manteo men were charged with shooting deer illegally near the Bodie Island Lighthouse and could face federal charges.
William Mathews II , 18, and John T. Payne III, 18, both of Manteo, were charged with night deer hunting and taking a deer with the aid of a motor vehicle, said North Carolina Wildlife Enforcement Officer Fred Hampton.
On March 26, two deer were found shot dead not far from the Bodie Island Lighthouse, Hampton said. Windows in a restroom building also had been shot.
Investigators found shell casings of .22-caliber bullets nearby, he said.
On Friday, Hampton and Wildlife Officer Chris Holmes staked out the area about 9 p.m. Hampton hid in the woods near where the officers had placed a “dummy deer,” a decoy of hard foam covered in deer skin.
Holmes waited in the patrol vehicle further away.
According to Hampton’s account, Holmes heard a shot fired near N.C. 12, but the officers waited. Soon, a Honda Accord entered the area around the lighthouse. A full moon made visibility good.
The driver held a spotlight, and a passenger was sitting on the door window, leaning outside the car with a rifle in hand. The passenger shot the decoy deer two times before realizing what it was.
Hampton heard the shooter tell the driver to accelerate and get out of there.
But Holmes met the car with his patrol vehicle, and Hampton emerged on foot with his own spotlight fixed on the suspects.
Mathews and Payne could face federal charges related to the damage to the building and killing deer on federal property, illegally possessing a firearm on federal property, and shining an artificial light on wildlife, said Paul Stevens, law enforcement specialist for the Outer Banks Group of the National Park Service.
A juvenile in the back seat of the car was not charged. No alcohol or drugs were involved, Hampton said. Officers confiscated the car, the rifle and a box of 500 .22-caliber bullets, he said.
The state charges bring a minimum fine of $250, and the men will lose their hunting licenses for two years, he said. The car, rifle and bullets could be taken permanently
By JEFFREY S. HAMPTON , The Virginian-Pilot
© April 6, 2004 | Last updated 9:35 PM Apr. 5
BODIE ISLAND — Two Manteo men were charged with shooting deer illegally near the Bodie Island Lighthouse and could face federal charges.
William Mathews II , 18, and John T. Payne III, 18, both of Manteo, were charged with night deer hunting and taking a deer with the aid of a motor vehicle, said North Carolina Wildlife Enforcement Officer Fred Hampton.
On March 26, two deer were found shot dead not far from the Bodie Island Lighthouse, Hampton said. Windows in a restroom building also had been shot.
Investigators found shell casings of .22-caliber bullets nearby, he said.
On Friday, Hampton and Wildlife Officer Chris Holmes staked out the area about 9 p.m. Hampton hid in the woods near where the officers had placed a “dummy deer,” a decoy of hard foam covered in deer skin.
Holmes waited in the patrol vehicle further away.
According to Hampton’s account, Holmes heard a shot fired near N.C. 12, but the officers waited. Soon, a Honda Accord entered the area around the lighthouse. A full moon made visibility good.
The driver held a spotlight, and a passenger was sitting on the door window, leaning outside the car with a rifle in hand. The passenger shot the decoy deer two times before realizing what it was.
Hampton heard the shooter tell the driver to accelerate and get out of there.
But Holmes met the car with his patrol vehicle, and Hampton emerged on foot with his own spotlight fixed on the suspects.
Mathews and Payne could face federal charges related to the damage to the building and killing deer on federal property, illegally possessing a firearm on federal property, and shining an artificial light on wildlife, said Paul Stevens, law enforcement specialist for the Outer Banks Group of the National Park Service.
A juvenile in the back seat of the car was not charged. No alcohol or drugs were involved, Hampton said. Officers confiscated the car, the rifle and a box of 500 .22-caliber bullets, he said.
The state charges bring a minimum fine of $250, and the men will lose their hunting licenses for two years, he said. The car, rifle and bullets could be taken permanently