Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents cited five Morehouse Parish residents on August 6 for hunting deer during illegal hours, hunting from a public road, hunting deer with an illegal weapon and hunting from a moving vehicle. William E. Stover, 21, Sonya L. Farrar, 18, Samantha D. Stanfill, 17, all from Bastrop, along with Brandon B. Beach, 17, from Mer Rouge and a 14-year-old juvenile female were each cited after agents received an anonymous complaint that the group had killed an eight-point buck before daylight on August 6. Stover, Beach and Farrar each received an additional charge for hunting wild quadrupeds during illegal hours. An added citation for discharging a firearm from a public road was issued to Stover.

Acting on the complaint, agents went to the residence of Brandon Beach on the evening of August 6 and questioned both Beach and Stover. During questioning, the two allegedly admitted to illegally night hunting deer and to shooting at an armadillo on Hopkins Hill Road, which is located north of Bastrop in Morehouse Parish. Stover also allegedly admitted to shooting a deer with a .22-caliber rifle, which resulted in additional citations issued for hunting deer with an illegal weapon. Inside the Beach residence, the agents discovered fresh deer meat and found an eight-point deer head, still in velvet, hanging from a tree in the yard. Agents also found a .22 caliber rifle at the residence.

Sonya Farrar, Samantha Stanfill and the juvenile were also questioned and issued citations. Seized in connection with the case were deer meat, the eight-point deer head and the .22-caliber rifle. The seized meat was donated to charity.

The penalty for hunting deer during illegal hours is a fine of up to $950, jail for not more than 120 days, or both, plus court costs and forfeiture of seized items. Hunting from a moving vehicle and hunting wild quadrupeds during illegal hours are both punishable by fines of up to $500, jail for not more than 90 days, or both, plus court costs. The penalties for hunting from a public road and taking deer with an illegal weapon are fines of up to $350, jail for not more than 60 days, or both, plus court costs. The penalty for discharging a firearm from a public road is a fine of not more than $50, jail for not more than 30 days, or both, plus court costs.

Agents involved in the case were Sgt. Mike Murray, Sgt. Lane Kincaid and Senior Agent Darren Bruce.