Poacher to pay fines and restitution, lose hunting privileges for two years

COLUMBUS, OH - The use of DNA evidence in an investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, has resulted in the conviction of a deer poacher in Preble County.

Steven S. Booso of Lewisburg was convicted in Eaton Municipal Court on August 31 of four misdemeanor wildlife violations, including taking a deer with a shotgun during the closed season, possessing an untagged deer, temporarily tagging a deer of another, and deterring a wildlife officer from performing official duties.

Last fall, the division received a complaint concerning Booso through its Turn In a Poacher (TIP) line. Based on the tip, wildlife officers contacted Booso and found on his property the untagged carcass of a deer he claimed to have killed in Indiana.
This discovery led wildlife officers to search search an area the suspect had been known to hunt and found evidence of a recent deer kill and ATV tracks leaving the area to a nearby road.
The blood and hair samples collected at both the residence and hunting scene were submitted to a DNA laboratory for analysis. The results confirmed that the untagged deer in Booso’s possession and the remnants found at the hunting site were from the same animal.

The Statehouse News Bureau reported recently that professor emeritus at Case Western Reserve University Bill Peirce has announced plans to run for governor in 2006.

Peirce is the first Libertarian to announce a run for governor in 2006 and is a life-long member of the National Rifle Association.

Peirce's campaign website states that his belief that "law-abiding citizens should not have to explain why they want to buy or own a gun" and goes on to say that "restoring your unrestricted right to own and carry a firearm will be a top priority of the Peirce administration."

Assuming the candidate gathers the needed signatures, Bill Peirce’s name will be on the gubernatorial ballot, listed as an independent (the Libertarian party is not recognized in Ohio).

---------------

A LOOK AT THE 2006 GOVERNOR'S RACE