PAW PAW MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A 33 year old Decatur man has been sentenced to prison and given a lifetime ban from hunting in Michigan for a deer poaching incident last October.
Justin Ernst pleaded guilty on Monday on five felony counts in connection with his poaching of nine trophy deer.
Ernst’ arrest came on the heels of a Michigan State Police investigation of a domestic assault complain against him, as troopers discovered the deer in a nearby barn.
They contacted DNR officers, who discovered eight deer in the building, and then were tipped off that Ernst had shot another deer a few days later.
He had been convicted in 2018 for illegally taking or possessing whitetail deer, the DNR said.
Ernst received 18 months to five years in prison, a 25,000 dollar fine, and a lifetime loss of his hunting privileges.
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