Eleven people have now been convicted and sentenced after what officials describe as a two-year undercover probe into an illegal deer-hunting ring in southeast Ohio. Investigators say five of those defendants were Michigan residents who crossed into Ohio to take antlered bucks at night.
According to CBS Detroit, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife launched the investigation in 2023 after receiving tips and eventually “infiltrated the group,” gathering photos and videos that showed spotlighting and other violations. Wildlife officers moved in on a group of five hunters in January 2025 in Guernsey County, with help from the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office and its drone unit, the agency said. The case stretched across several counties and led to prosecutions in courts in Licking, Muskingum and Cambridge.
Local coverage from FOX 2 Detroit names the Michigan defendants and details some of the fallout. James Barrett, 28, of Harrison Township, was convicted on multiple counts and received a combination of a short jail sentence, probation and 300 days of house arrest with electronic monitoring. The station reports that fellow Michigan hunters Todd Brown of Atlanta, Paul and James Laurain of Sterling Heights, and Jonathan Ricker of Washington Township were ordered to pay fines and restitution and lost their hunting privileges for multiple years…