Poacher must watch ‘Bambi’ at least once per month while in jail, judge says
David Berry Jr. Photo courtesy of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office.
A Missouri judge has sentenced a poacher to watch the movie Bambi at least once per month while in jail for illegally killing deer.
Judge Robert George of Lawrence County added the Bambi requirement to a one-year sentence for David Berry Jr., 29, of Brookline, Missouri, report the Springfield News-Leader, the Associated Press, NBC News and ABC News.
Berry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in October for the illegal killing, possessing and disposing of wildlife. He was sentenced on Dec. 6.
Berry also received a 120-day sentence in another county on Dec. 13 for a firearms probation violation that will be served in addition to the yearlong sentence.
Berry’s father and two brothers also were accused of illegal hunting. David Berry and his father, David Berry Sr., had hunting privileges revoked for life, while his brothers, Eric and Kyle, had temporary suspensions.
Investigators estimate the group was responsible for killing hundreds of deer over a three-year period, said Don Trotter, the Lawrence County prosecuting attorney, in a press release. “The deer were trophy bucks taken illegally, mostly at night, for their heads, leaving the bodies of the deer to waste,” he said.
Randy Doman, protection division chief of the Missouri Department of Conservation, told the Springfield News-Leader that sometimes poachers go after antlers for profit, but “with this bunch it was more about the thrill of the kill itself.”
The group was accused of hunting out of season, using lights that temporarily blind deer, and killing deer from their vehicles, according to NBC News.
The arrests were made after an 8½ month investigation spurred by tips to a hotline called Operation Game Thief.
