The phone calls started in September of last year. The Pennsylvania Game Commission was suddenly inundated with phone calls and complaints about multiple deer carcasses lying around fields and yards in southern Franklin County.
Game wardens set up night time patrols but had difficulty catching a break. With only a description of the vehicle provided by some witnesses, one warden finally caught a break in January at a gas station in Washington Township.
Catching a glimpse of a truck matching the description of the one allegedly used in previous crimes, the warden set up shop around one of the roads where multiple carcasses were previously recovered.
It didn’t take long for the sound of gunshot to break the silence of the cool winter air. Immediately following the shots, he witnessed the same vehicle from the gas station drive by and immediately was in pursuit.
One adult and two juveniles were inside the truck on that particular evening along with a loaded .22 Magnum caliber rifle. The trio instantly admitted to shooting at three deer and following an interview process, they implicated an additional three suspects in previous killings.
All together, six people, which included three juveniles were charged in a poaching ring that the Game Commission believes resulted in the killing of between 100 – 200 deer.
Hunter Atherton, Abigale Hoover and Caillou Patterson, all 20 years old and from Greencastle, were charged as well as three juveniles.
Together, they face a combined total of 113 counts of the unlawful killing of game or wildlife, 207 counts of the unlawful use of lights while hunting, 42 counts of the possession of loaded firearms in a vehicle, 62 counts of restrictions on recreational spotlighting and 62 counts of the unlawful use of a vehicle to locate game or wildlife.
The three adults also face corruption of minors charges and Atherton was charged with recklessly endangering the welfare of others.
