Pa. Game Commission in Somerset files charges in 'thrill killing' of over a dozen deer

Three people have been charged with the illegal killings of more than a dozen deer throughout Somerset County in late 2020.

Caleb Roland, 23, of East Catherine Street in Somerset Borough, was charged March 1 with 81 counts, including 23 felonies, for alleged offenses related to poaching from Oct. 24, 2020 to Nov. 18 of the same year. Two others — juveniles at the time of the alleged offenses — were also charged with the same crimes, State Game Warden Brian Witherite said.

According to a probable-cause affidavit, Witherite received information on Nov. 18, 2020 that multiple passengers in a vehicle were spotted along Colflesh Road in Lower Turkeyfoot Township using a spotlight and firing a weapon at a deer. The witness then obtained the license plate number of the vehicle.

This number was traced back to Roland, according to the affidavit.

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An investigation found that the three had killed 19 deer in Addison, Lower Turkeyfoot and Somerset townships, including one incident where a deer was dragged behind a vehicle in late 2020, according to the affidavit.

Roland was arraigned Monday before District Judge Sandra Stevanus and is free on an unsecured $50,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday before Stevanus.

An online court document did not list an attorney for Roland on Thursday afternoon.

Witherite described the investigation of the case as "extensive."

He said that charges had been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and because one of the suspects fled the state before later returning.

He said in some of the incidents, the three left the deer to rot because they became spooked. Witherite characterized their actions as "thrill killing."

"This is the largest investigation of my career as a game warden in Somerset County," he said, adding that he has worked as a warden for 22 years. "This goes back to the importance of the community to get involved to protect the wildlife resources. This started with one individual that saw it happen and made a difference.

"If that farmer wouldn’t have gotten involved on that night in November, they would have continued to go, and they said that."

Witherite said that anyone who witnesses illegal hunting should contact their regional game commission office.

"The game wardens will do their job," he said.

Follow Eric Kieta on Twitter at @EricKietaDA.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset man, two others charged with killing 19 deer