One look at the above photo and it’s easy to imagine how a deer of that caliber would turn a few heads. Which is exactly what happened earlier this year when photos of the now infamous grip and grin made their rounds on social media and news outlets.
Green scoring the antlers somewhere in the neighborhood of 206 ⅞”, the Alexander buck was ready to take the record books by storm. With measurements like that, this buck was believed to have been the largest ever taken in the state of Ohio and the third-largest nationwide.
As the initial responses were in celebration of what we all believed to be a great (and legal) feat in the deer woods were quickly derailed when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced an investigation into the possible illegal taking of the deer which later became known as the ‘Alexander buck’.
Following the investigation, the Ohio General’s Office, on behalf of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced last week that Christopher “CJ” Alexander has now officially been indicted on 23 total charges stemming from the hunting incident last fall.
Alexander originally claimed that the deer was shot on a chunk of property owned by his sister and went as far as forging a letter of permission and submitting it to wildlife officials at the time of the incident. Warranted searches of Alexander’s cellphone later implicated him in the illegal hunting of the trophy buck. According to the records, the deer had been taken illegally on another private property approximately 10 miles away from where he claimed to have killed it.
“Blinded by greed, the defendants set their sights on fame and fortune while disregarding basic hunting regulations,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Instead of the cover of Field & Stream, their notoriety will be a booking photo.”
The investigation also revealed the falsification of the written permission letter from his sister and lying about the date on which the deer was killed. The report alleges that the deer was later staged at his sister’s property with the help of two other friends.
Given the findings, his sister, Kristina M. Alexander, and brothers Corey P. Haunert and Zachary R. Haunert, are now also facing charges.
In total, Alexander is facing 23 charges including five counts each of illegally hunting deer without written permission and taking possession of a deer in violation of a division rule, three counts of theft by deception, two counts each of hunting without a license, hunting deer without a valid deer permit, and tampering with evidence, and one count each of jacklighting, theft, falsification, and sale of wildlife parts.
Corey Haunert, 29, faces eight charges, including four counts of aiding a wildlife offender, two counts of hunting without written permission, one count each of tampering with evidence, and falsification.
Zachary Haunert, 31, faces two misdemeanor counts of aiding a wildlife offender. Kristina Alexander, 37, faces one count of falsification and one count of aiding a wildlife offender.
“This once-in-a-lifetime deer embodies the great natural resources Ohio has to offer,” Yost added. “It is shameful that this deer ended up in an evidence room rather than adorning an ethical hunter’s wall as a prized trophy.”
