Two men paid thousands of dollars in fines and forfeited a vehicle, rifles and hunting equipment in connection with illegal deer hunting in Mercer County, Illinois.
A sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle in which Spencer Fisher, 36, of Bettendorf and Christian Kinsey, 20, of North Carolina were traveling in November 2012. Police said the men were illegally transporting loaded firearms and had recently been hunting.
Conservation Police joined the investigation and a total of 29 charges were filed in two counties against Fisher, Kinsey and 32-year-old Emily Fisher of Bettendorf.
Kinsey and Spencer Fisher each pleaded guilty March 5, 2013 to several misdemeanor charges.
Conservation Police said Spencer Fisher pleaded guilty to deer hunting with use/aid of a motor vehicle, deer hunting after hours, deer hunting with use/aid of bait, unlawfully taking a deer with an illegal method (rifle), unlawful possession of an illegally-taken protected species (deer) and deer hunting from a roadway.
Kinsey pleaded guilty to deer hunting with use/aid of a motor vehicle, deer hunting after hours, unlawfully taking a deer with an illegal method (rifle), deer hunting from a roadway and deer hunting without a valid deer permit.
Spencer Fisher was assessed $3,602 in fines and court costs. Kinsey was assessed $2,749 in fines and court costs. Their vehicle, rifles and hunting equipment were also forfeited as part of the plea agreement.
Emily Fisher was charged in Rock Island County with four counts of falsification to obtain resident hunting licenses and permits. Her case was still pending.
