Maryland Natural Resources Police have charged four men with deer poaching in Maryland.
Using social media, officers tracked down a convicted Carroll County deer poacher and charged him with eight new violations Friday.
Tyler James Murphy, 21, of Union Bridge, posted pictures of an antlerless deer he killed, but did not check in October. State records show he checked in two anterless deer Dec. 3, bought a bonus antlered deer stamp that evening and checked in a 10-point buck Dec. 4.
Murphy told investigators he had not killed two anterless deer Dec. 3 and killed the 10-point buck before buying the bonus stamp. Murphy was charged with hunting without a license, failing to report his kill within 24 hours and several related charges.
In 2015, Murphy was convicted of eight counts of deer and turkey poaching and had an 8-point and a 7-point buck seized. Based on his record, each of Murphy's 2017 citations require him to appear in Frederick County District Court. If found guilty, he could be jailed for one year and fined as much as $4,000 on each count. In addition, state law mandates restitution of at least $2,000.
Public tips and posts on Snapchat led officers to arrest two men Friday with killing five deer in one night in Frederick County.
Garrett Montgomery Smith, 19, of Frederick and John Edward Jackson, 19, of Mount Airy were charged with hunting a deer during a closed season, hunting at night, having a loaded firearm in a vehicle and several related charges.
According to police, Smith and Jackson killed a 5-point buck and four antlerless deer with either a 0.22-caliber rifle or a 0.30-06 riflle using the LED lightbar and vehicle headlights to illuminate the animals. They took meat from two of the five deer and left the other carcasses untouched along the road, the charging documents said.
The two men are scheduled to appear in Frederick County District Court March 28. If found guilty of all charged, each man could be jailed for 90 days, face a maximum fine of $11,500 and have their hunting privileges revoked for up to five years. State law mandates restitution of at least $2,000.
Trail camera and Facebook photos led to a Carroll County man being charged with deer poaching last Tuesday. Travis Shawn Hankins, 45, of Sykesville received citations for hunting on private property and recording false information.
Hankins checked a 9-point buck Jan. 12 stating that it was killed in Anne Arundel County. However, officers determined it was killed near powerlines in Prince George's County.
Hankins will appear in Prince George's County District Court. If found guilty of all charges, Hankins could be fined a maximum of $4,500. The state mandates a restitution of at least $2,000.
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