Feb. 28, 2023- State game wardens have concluded a 3 year-long poaching ring investigation spreading across four separate states and have arrested three individuals.
The three arrested so far are Carson Don Bottoms, 21, of Longview, Drake Anthony Cannon, 24, of Mount Pleasant, and an unamed juvenile.
Capt. Shawn Hervey said the arrests followed a three-year long investigation into deer poaching in East Texas as well as in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Iowa. There is potential for several others connected to the poaching ring to be arrested.
The poachers would allegedly drive around shooting deer at night. This occured all year and included trespassing. It is suspected that over 100 deer were killed illegally by the poaching ring. The deer would be allegedly taken to Cannon, who would process them.
Hervey said game wardens will be reaching out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department for possible federal charges.
