In mid-September 2021, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) officers in Mineral County started receiving complaints of someone spotlighting deer. Those tips ultimately led to 223 charges filed on Jan. 24 against against eight Mineral County residents for killing 27 bucks.

According to a press release from WVDNR, two of the eight people involved were deputy sheriffs in the county, Tyler Biggs and Dalton Dolly. Both have since resigned. Colton Broadwater, Ivy Rodenhaver, Robert Horner Sr., Robert (Beau) Horner Jr, Gregory Broadwater, and Christopher Biggs were also charged with crimes.

Of the 27 poached bucks, 12 of them meet trophy fee requirements because their antler spread between the main beams is greater than 14 inches. West Virginia law uses a system in which poaching fines are determined by the size of the deer poached. If the animal’s inside spread is between 14 and 16 inches the fine per deer is $2,500; between 16 and 18 inches it’s $5,000; 18 and 20 inches it’s $7,500; and anything above 20 inches wide carries a $10,000 fine. READ MORE