Several people facing charges, accused of illegally hunting at Austin park

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to clarify that five people were charged in the incident.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several people were charged in connection to an alleged illegal hunting incident at an east Austin park last month, according to a court document obtained by KXAN.

KXAN reported on the issue last month after people in the nearby school community expressed frustration from hearing repeated sounds of gunshots in the John Treviño Jr. Metropolitan Park off Farm to Market Road 969.

Alleged illegal hunting investigated at Austin park near elementary schools

Austin Discovery School is located right next to the park. Superintendent Lesa Anderson told KXAN last month they’d been dealing with this problem for years, and that the shots had even prompted the school to go into lockdown on several occasions and forced the school to make changes to some outdoor activities.

The park is not currently open to the public, but according to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, later this year, a portion of the parkland is scheduled to be developed for use as a public park.

The school said last month it had contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Austin Police Department. TPWD said game wardens began investigating “using multiple methods of surveillance” after receiving reports of hunting in the area.

According to an arrest affidavit, game wardens, with the help of APD and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, made contact with five people who “admitted to hunting on the property,” the document stated.

After surveillance cameras were set up in the park, a game warden received a notification from the cameras and said the footage showed multiple people actively hunting with dogs on the property, and that at least one person appeared to have a firearm, according to the affidavit.

According to a statement from TPWD, around 10 p.m. on March 15, a Travis County Game Warden responded to the park after receiving pictures of suspected hog dogs and several individuals trespassing within the park. The statement says APD Air 1 responded to assist and located six individuals leaving the park and going into the adjacent rural neighborhood.

The statement also says additional APD officers and a K-9 team, along with TCSO deputies, responded to the scene to assist the warden. After what TPWD called a “lengthy search,” all suspects were arrested and a rifle was recovered.

TPWD said five suspects were charged with criminal trespass and hunting without consent. The remaining suspect was charged with criminal trespass.

The affidavit noted that the park is properly marked and Texas game wardens have contacted residents in the area to not access the park.

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