MN: Hunter accused of poaching trophy buck gets jail time in plea deal

March 19, 2010

Hunter accused of poaching trophy buck gets jail time in plea deal

The Cannon Falls man charged with poaching a world-record white-tailed buck on Halloween in Goodhue County also loses his hunting privileges for five years.

RED WING, MINN. — A Cannon Falls man accused of poaching a world-record 8-point white-tailed buck on Halloween in Goodhue County pleaded guilty Thursday to three charges and will go to jail. Troy Alan Reinke, 32, admitted in District Court to a gross misdemeanor for illegally possessing the trophy buck, and to misdemeanors for failing to register a doe he shot earlier in October with his bow, and also for killing a smaller buck with his bow in excess of his limit.

About a dozen other charges were dismissed.

The poaching admissions put Reinke in violation of his parole from an earlier domestic assault conviction. Crediting him for 120 days served in that case, Judge Thomas Bibus sentenced Reinke to 245 days in jail -- a year in all.

Reinke also loses his big- and small-game hunting privileges for five years, and must pay $1,500 in restitution and $500 in court costs. The rack of the trophy animal will go to the DNR enforcement division, and Reinke must forfeit his bow.

Reinke "realizes he's a demon in the hunting community," said his attorney, public defender Tim Dillon of Cannon Falls.

Asked whether he was happy with the deal his office cut with Reinke, Assistant County Attorney Dave Grove said, "Quite.''.

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