Hawgleg
10-22-2009, 07:53 PM
COLUMBUS --A Guernsey County man is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of federal charges of shipping deer to South Carolina.
A jury found Danny L. Parrott, of Kimbolton, guilty of 14 counts of violation of the Lacey Act and two counts of conspiracy, according to Fred Alverson, a spokesperson with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The trial, which ended Friday, took place at the U.S. Southern District Court of Ohio.
A sentencing date has not been set. Parrott faces up to 70 years in prison for the charges.
Alverson said the jury acquitted Parrott of one count of wire fraud.
A phone call to Parrott's attorney, Phillip Douglas Lehmkuhl of Mount Vernon, was not returned.
Parrott is the owner of River Ridge Ranch Inc., where he allowed deer hunts on his property and advertised his hunting service on the Internet, court documents show.
According to Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent E. Wolgemuth, an investigation from his department along with several other federal and state agencies began in January of 2006 into Parrott shipping white-tailed deer to South Carolina.
Court records show the deer were being sent to Graham's Turnout Hunt Co., a deer hunting service catering to hunters from South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
According to court records, from August to November of 2005, Parrott conspired with several unnamed individuals to sell the deer across state lines and to falsify records and identifications of the animals for the sales.
Parrott failed to obtain the necessary state permits for the exportation of deer to South Carolina, used false travel records and invoices regarding the deer stating they were being transported to Florida, had no regard if the deer had chronic wasting disease or other illnesses and allowed the deer to be released into South Carolina where they could interact with other deer, according to court records.
Wolgemuth said deer procurement is a multi-million dollar business and that Parrott could have effectively ruined an entire state of deer by not having the animals tested.
Wolgemuth said disease among deer could have been spread throughout South Carolina and the deer are sold for $2,500 to $5,000 a head, and once they are hunted they're worth between $25,000 and $50,000. He said Ohio deer are recognized nationally for their incredible genetics and huge antlers
A jury found Danny L. Parrott, of Kimbolton, guilty of 14 counts of violation of the Lacey Act and two counts of conspiracy, according to Fred Alverson, a spokesperson with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The trial, which ended Friday, took place at the U.S. Southern District Court of Ohio.
A sentencing date has not been set. Parrott faces up to 70 years in prison for the charges.
Alverson said the jury acquitted Parrott of one count of wire fraud.
A phone call to Parrott's attorney, Phillip Douglas Lehmkuhl of Mount Vernon, was not returned.
Parrott is the owner of River Ridge Ranch Inc., where he allowed deer hunts on his property and advertised his hunting service on the Internet, court documents show.
According to Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent E. Wolgemuth, an investigation from his department along with several other federal and state agencies began in January of 2006 into Parrott shipping white-tailed deer to South Carolina.
Court records show the deer were being sent to Graham's Turnout Hunt Co., a deer hunting service catering to hunters from South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
According to court records, from August to November of 2005, Parrott conspired with several unnamed individuals to sell the deer across state lines and to falsify records and identifications of the animals for the sales.
Parrott failed to obtain the necessary state permits for the exportation of deer to South Carolina, used false travel records and invoices regarding the deer stating they were being transported to Florida, had no regard if the deer had chronic wasting disease or other illnesses and allowed the deer to be released into South Carolina where they could interact with other deer, according to court records.
Wolgemuth said deer procurement is a multi-million dollar business and that Parrott could have effectively ruined an entire state of deer by not having the animals tested.
Wolgemuth said disease among deer could have been spread throughout South Carolina and the deer are sold for $2,500 to $5,000 a head, and once they are hunted they're worth between $25,000 and $50,000. He said Ohio deer are recognized nationally for their incredible genetics and huge antlers