Somerset County Trio Plead Guilty to Wildlife Violations
March 27, 2008 9:39 AM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Following a lengthy undercover investigation, three Somerset County
individuals pled guilty to a variety of Game and Wildlife Code
violations, involving deer, bear and ruffed grouse. Pennsylvania Game
Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer Brian Witherite filed all of
the charges before District Judge Douglas Bell, Meyersdale.
Those individuals who pled guilty were Terry J. Holler, 52, of
Boynton, Lee W. Prickrel, 22, of Salisbury, and Riley M. Sines, 24, of
Salisbury.
The investigation began when information was provided about Holler
illegally selling deer meat and bear gall bladders. While conducting an
undercover investigation into these allegations, further information was
obtained about Prickrel and Sines illegally killing deer and ruffed
grouse.
Based on the information, on Sept. 29, the opening morning of the
2007 archery season, WCO Witherite and Deputy WCO Jeremy Coughenour
apprehended Prickrel and Sines hunting over a baited area. Witherite and
Coughenour discovered an untagged, eight-point antlered deer laying on
the ground nearby and, after further investigation, uncovered a
videotape of the hunt that showed the deer being shot by Prickrel while
the deer was standing on the bait pile in the woods.
SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission.
