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A Michigan man recently admitted he was "relieving frustration" by driving around at night and shooting deer from his car, according to Click On Detroit.
29-year-old Edward Trout admitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources that he illegally shot and abandoned multiple deer in Northeast Kent County. Trout confessed to three instances of going out and shooting deer, often while under the influence of alcohol or marijuana, when interviewed by Conservation Officer Casey Varriale. He stated he “relieved frustration by driving around at night, listening to music and occasionally shooting his pistol into vacant fields from his pickup truck.”
DNR's Report All Poaching hotline received eight tips that reported gunfire at night and deer carcasses located in or near Nelson and Spencer townships. Varriale and fellow Conservation Officer Justin Ulberg began investigating the tips and, by February 13, they found 13 deer that had been shot and abandoned in the townships By the next day, a concerned citizen anonymously contacted the hotline to report local rumors that Trout was driving around at night and shooting deer from his vehicle.
On June 7, Varriale also began investigating a new tip that Trout was spearing turtles at Pine Lake. Trout has been seen spearing and leaving snapping turtles on the shore, but he claimed he only speared them due to fear for his children's safety while fishing. Varriale found multiple speared turtles, including one with a spear still in it, among other evidence.
Trout originally faced three charges in connection to the deer, but after he failed to appear in court on June 3, he has accumulated two more charges in connection to the turtles. Trouts hunting and fishing privileges have been suspended until he is scheduled to reappear in court on July 19.