Capturing national attention last year after killing a well-known whitetail outside of Richmond, Virginia, a pair of men have finally had their day in court. Jason Walters and Allan Proffitt were both handed down fines and jail time for their role in the illegal killing of this magnificent deer.
It was Walters who single handedly captured the attention of millions last year as he posted his now-famous grip and grin of him and a massive buck he claimed to have killed in Prince Edward County. Following the posting of the picture to the Star City Whitetails Facebook page, the page’s administrator, Jeff Phillips, was met with an onslaught of photos and comments from users stating that they recognized the deer in the photo and it should have never been shot.
According to the users, the buck in the photo was the ‘Hollywood buck” – a large deer that was frequently seen and photographed around the Hollywood cemetery in Richmond. A quick glance at the photos and Phillips and many others noticed that the deer that was shot was most certainly the Hollywood buck.
“Our officers immediately began their investigation upon learning of the potential violation of Virginia’s wildlife laws,” Major Ryan Schuler, deputy chief of DWR law enforcement, said in a statement. “The illegal killing of this deer was a blow to the community and damaged the reputation of law-abiding hunters across the Commonwealth.”
Now after months of waiting, the two men were handed down their punishment by the state of Virginia for the killing of the Hollywood buck and two other deer that were found to have been killed illegally.
Jason Walters pled guilty to 20 misdemeanors in the case, which came with a six-month jail sentence, three months of probation, a 24-year hunting ban, and more than $13,000 in fines.
His accomplice, Allan Proffitt, will serve 30 days of house arrest, pay $1,200 in fines, and see his hunting privileges revoked for six years.
In what officials are calling one of the “strongest enforcement outcomes in recent memory,” the DWR believes that the punishment should suffice in sending a message to anyone else thinking of unlawfully harvesting any wildlife illegally.
“The considerable penalties included will certainly be a deterrent to future wildlife crime and should give the community a level of comfort that this type of crime is taken very seriously in the Commonwealth,” the agency said. “ Hunting is a treasured tradition in Virginia. Unethical and criminal behavior tarnishes the reputation of the sport and gives a bad name to those that engage in it lawfully.”
