A Windsor man is facing charges that he allegedly shot a decoy deer from the cab of his truck then fled from Fish & Wildlife wardens.
Robert Hagar, 48, of Windsor, pleaded not guilty in Windsor County Superior Court on Dec. 16 to violating a series of Fish & Wildlife regulations, being a felon in possession of a firearm and grossly attempting to elude law enforcement, according to a Fish & Wildlife statement.
Lt. Dennis Amsden, a Fish & Wildlife law enforcement officer, said Wardens first engaged Hagar on Dec. 14 in Cavendish at approximately 5 p.m. Wardens attempted to stop Hagar after he shot a decoy deer from his truck after legal shooting hours.
Legal shooting hours, Amsden said, end a half hour after sunset, and on Dec. 14 the legal hours ended at 4:42 p.m. It is never legal to discharge a firearm from a vehicle.
Amsden said wardens had previously placed the decoy in an effort to catch alleged poachers like Hagar.
“It’s something we run into every year and that’s the reason that they’re out there with the decoys because we have areas where this type of behavior happens a little more often,” Amsden said.
When speaking with VTDigger, Amsden said he didn’t have access to the exact number for how many deer poaching incidents have been reported this year.
“It’s a relatively common violation and one that we work hard to curb,” he said.
Hagar then led wardens on a chase, during which Hagar forced another car off the roadway. Amsden said the driver of the car that was forced off the road reported no injuries.
Wardens were able to track Hagar through three miles of dirt roads to a residence in Weathersfield where they executed a search warrant arresting Hagar and seizing his truck.
He was subsequently lodged at Southern State Correctional Facility and held on $15,000 bail before his Dec. 16 court date. Amsden said Hagar posted bail after the hearing and has since been released. He is due back in court on Jan. 21.
“[This is] someone who’s going out of their way to steal the resource and do it illegally and in an unsafe manner and then further put others at risk by trying to evade game wardens,” Amsden said.
Amsden said Hagar’s truck was returned to him but is still subject to forfeiture at a later date.
If found guilty, Hagar could be face up to 60 days in prison and $1,000 fine for each of the Fish & Wildlife violations — taking big game in closed season and shooting from a public highway. A felon in possession of a firearm brings up to two years in prison and a fine of $1,000. Grossly attempting to elude law enforcement carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and $1,000 fine.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Windsor man pleads not guilty to violations in deer poaching case.