Louisiana Police Officers Cited for Hunting Violations

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents arrested a Winnsboro Police Officer, cited another Winnsboro Police Officer and cited a Franklin Parish Detention Center Corrections Officer for their alleged roles in the illegal harvesting of a deer.

Agents cited Winnsboro City Police Officer Chester Coleman, 34, of Enterprise, on Jan. 7 for taking a deer during illegal hours using artificial light, hunting from a moving vehicle, failing to comply with deer tagging requirements, and hunting without basic and big game licenses.  Agents also arrested Coleman for malfeasance in office and booked him into the Franklin Parish Jail.

Agents also cited Winnsboro City Police Officer Joshua Martin, 31, of Winnsboro, and Franklin Parish Detention Center Corrections Officer Hunter Guimbellot, 22, of Winnsboro, on Jan. 5 for taking a deer during illegal hours using artificial light and hunting from a moving vehicle.

Agents were notified by an informant of an illegal hunting incident that occurred in Franklin Parish on Dec. 30, 2012.  Agents learned from the informant that Coleman, Martin and Guimbellot harvested a doe deer around 8 p.m. at the Winnsboro City Industrial Park.

Coleman was on duty at the time of the illegal hunting activitiy and he shot the deer from his patrol vehicle with Martin’s .308 rifle.  The three men then put the deer into the trunk of the patrol vehicle for later cleaning.

Agents seized the .308 rifle and the deer.  Agents involved in the case are Lt. Scott Watson and Senior Agent Johnny Wilson.

Malfeasance in office is a felony and brings up to five years in jail and $5,000 in fines.  Taking deer during illegal hours brings a $900 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail.  Hunting from a moving vehicle brings a $250 to $500 and up to 90 days in jail.  Hunting without basic and big game licenses carries a $50 fine and up to 15 days in jail for each offense.  Violating deer tagging regulations brings a $100 to $300 fine and up to 60 days in jail.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.