(WWJ) Police investigating a domestic violence complaint in southwest Michigan found something they didn't expect: more than half-a-dozen dead trophy bucks.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says 33-year-old Justin Ernst, of Van Buren County's Decatur, faces up to $59,500 in reimbursement to the state if convicted of 15 DNR violations.
The investigation began last month, when eight poached bucks — five 10-pointers and 8-pointers — were discovered in a barn in Decatur, a village south of Paw Paw.
The DNR said officers determined that the illegal, trophy deer belonged to Ernst, a convicted felon suspected of driving his truck through fields with a spotlight and shooting deer.
Justin Michael Ernst.Michigan Department of Corrections
The property owner, who gave conservation officers permission to "search anywhere," told investigators that Ernst was on meth, and spent time in the barn.
Two days later, a tip came in on the DNR's Report All Poaching hotline that Ernst had been arrested on Oct. 18 and was being held at the Van Buren County jail for his Oct. 17 domestic violence charge. The tipster also reported that there was another buck in the barn, which officers estimated had been shot within the past 48 hours.
All nine poached bucks were seized.
Michigan DNR
Ernst has a prior DNR conviction from 2018 for illegally taking or possessing whitetail deer. His felony record includes drug possession, fleeing police and drunken driving.
"It's a shame that this criminal ruined the chance for ethical, legal hunters to have their opportunity to take one of these trophy deer," said Lt. Gerald Thayer, of the Michigan DNR Law Enforcement Division. "Not only did this felon steal from the natural resource, he also damaged agriculture crops, and has been doing so for some time. The financial penalty is the minimum he should serve."
The 15 new DNR charges pending against Ernst include:
Two counts of firearm possession by a felon.
Two felony firearms violations.
One count of hunting with a revoked hunting license.
One count of applying for, or obtaining, a hunting license when ineligible.
Nine counts of taking game illegally.
While witnesses told officers they saw Ernst with the poached bucks in his truck, Ernst denied any involvement, the DNR said. He said he could not hunt because his hunting license had been revoked.
On Oct. 20, officers with a search warrant found two shotguns and a crossbow, a bloody crossbow bolt from the bed of Ernst's vehicle, and a handheld spotlight under the driver's seat.
Ernst is free on bond as he awaits his next court appearance, set for Dec. 20.
