COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) —COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio wildlife officer has been placed on unpaid leave after state investigators found that he and two other officers in the southwestern part of the state hunted deer while on the job. An Ohio wildlife officer has been placed on unpaid leave after state investigators found that he and two other officers in the southwestern part of the state hunted deer while on the job.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio wildlife officer has been placed on unpaid leave after state investigators found that he and two other officers in the southwestern part of the state hunted deer while on the job.
A Thursday report by the state inspector general accuses field supervisor David Warner of hunting while on duty in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The watchdog’s review also accuses wildlife officer Matthew Roberts of hunting while on duty during the 2010 deer gun season.
Wildlife officers are tasked with enforcing state hunting and fishing laws.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Roberts, a Clinton County officer, has been placed on restrictive duty with pay. A third ex-wildlife officer — Allan Wright — was also cited in the report for hunting while on duty, though he was fired last year for other violations.
A department spokeswoman said the officers aren’t available for comment.
A federal judge last week ordered probation and house arrest for Wright after he was convicted of helping a South Carolina hunter illegally obtain an Ohio deer license at a discount that saved him about $105.
Wright also was convicted of seizing the antlers of two deer taken illegally and giving the antlers to a friend, instead of securing them as crime evidence.