Conservation Law Enforcement Corner January 2017

This column is designed to highlight the efforts of Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division (LED) officers who, among their many duties, protect Georgia’s wildlife, sportsmen and natural resources from game-law violators.

Bulloch County: On Dec. 6, 2015, DNR Law Enforcement Division Ranger Jordan Crawford received a call from Georgia State Patrol about a night-hunting complaint.

“I called the complainant, and he stated that he was asleep in his home on Black Creek Church Road when he was awakened by an extremely loud shot,” Crawford wrote in the official DNR incident report.

The man told Ranger Crawford that he hurried to his window to see a truck pulling into the field across from his house. The man hurried outside and got in his truck and watched the other truck as it seemed to search the field.

“The truck then pulled out of the field and began driving back down Black Creek Church Road. The witness followed in his truck and was able to get the truck’s tag number. He described the truck as a gray or light-blue Toyota. During this time, he was on the phone with 911 dispatch relaying the information to them. He was also able to identify that the vehicle was occupied by two white males. He continued to follow the truck until it pulled into a driveway at the end of Lawrence Church Road.

“Later in the day, Sgt. Don Dasher and myself responded to the field where the incident took place,” wrote Ranger Crawford in the incident report. “After a brief search of the area, we were able to locate a 7-point buck dead in the field. The deer had been shot by a high-powered rifle. We also located fresh tire tracks that led from the road into the field.”

As the two DNR officers searched the area, two men arrived at the scene. One man was the owner of the field, and the other man owned the house across the street, and he was the person who had made the 911 call during the night. The man who owned the field told of an interesting encounter that morning.

“Earlier that morning he had come by the field to see if a deer had been left. While he was sitting at the edge of the field, a black Chevy truck pulled up. The driver identified himself as ‘Larry Simmons’ and asked who owned the field. The driver then asked who lived in the house across the street and if anyone hunted the area. The landowner noticed that the whole time during the conversation ‘Simmons’ seemed to be looking for something in the field.”

Around 30 minutes later, ‘Simmons’ drove back by the field, driving very slowly. The landowner reported thinking this was strange.

“Sgt. Dasher and myself then went to the address that the tag number came back to. Sitting in the driveway of the address in question was a black Chevy truck matching the description of the truck belonging to ‘Larry Simmons.’ As we approached the home, I could see a truck matching the description of the truck that was involved in the incident from the night before. It was at that time that I was met by the property owner, Jason Lanier. We asked Lanier if he minded talking to us, and he stated that he would talk to us. I asked him if we could look at his Toyota truck. Lanier then stated that we could. The truck’s tag matched the tag in question. The tire tread also matched the tire track found in the field where the incident took place. In the seat of the truck were two soft gun cases. In the bed of the truck was a single spent shell casing.

“At that time, Sgt. Dasher asked Lanier if he knew why we were here. Lanier stated that he did not. Sgt. Dasher then asked Lanier where he was last night. Lanier stated that he and his son had gone to cut firewood at his father’s house. I asked him what time this was, and he stated around 10:30 p.m. I then asked him if we could talk to his son.” The son was 19 years old at the time.

According to the incident report, the son could not remember what time they had gone to cut firewood or what time they had gotten home, and he “acted very uneasy during our questions and kept looking at his father.”

Sgt. Dasher then told both men that he felt they were not being truthful, and then asked Jason Lanier if he knew a “Larry Simmons.”

“With that question, Jason seemed very uneasy, and he stated that he did not. At that time we ended our interview and left the property.

“The next day I sent a picture of Jason Lanier to the landowner,” Ranger Crawford said. “I asked him if the picture was that of ‘Larry Simmons.’ He stated that the picture of Jason Lanier was that of the man who identified himself as Larry Simmons. Armed with this information and all the other evidence obtained, I secured eight arrest warrants for Jason Lanier and his son. ”

According to Bulloch County Court documents, under a negotiated plea, Jason Harley Lanier, of Brooklet, was fined $992.50 and 12 months probation under a plea agreement for Hunting On Lands/Property of Another. Total fines, including probation supervision fees for 12 months, were $1,520.50.

The son, Jason Blake Lanier, was fined $680 plus court costs for Hunting On Lands/Property of Another. His fee total was $1,208.