A Linby man pleaded guilty Thursday to poaching a deer
last year in Jefferson County.
Tatem Bruce Northcutt, 25, entered into a plea agreement
and admitted to killing a large buck without a license on or before Nov. 12,
2002, and taking its head while leaving its body in a field, according to
the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Northcutt was charged with unlawful taking, transportation
and possession of an antlered deer; hunting without a deer license; unlawful
abandonment of a usable portion of wildlife, and trespassing. The field in
which the deer was shot, in Polk Township, was private property.
Dallas Davis, the lead investigator for the case, said he
received a confidential tip about the poaching.
Subsequent investigation found Northcutt had killed the
deer on or before Nov. 12 but his deer license was not issued until Nov. 14.
He claimed to have killed the deer Nov. 16.
Northcutt initially pleaded innocent in Iowa District
Court for Jefferson County, but requested a plea agreement during the trial.
He pleaded guilty to illegal taking, possession and transportation of the
animal, in return for which the other charges were dismissed except for
court costs.
Northcutt was charged $4,190 in fines, court costs and
penalties and received a one-year hunting license suspension.
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