Right now marks the start of what may very well be a prolonged felony trial for Christopher “CJ” Alexander, who has been charged with allegedly poaching the state’s would-be No. 1 whitetail deer. With a gross rating over 200 inches, the buck was additionally within the operating for the third-largest all-time typical whitetail within the Boone and Crockett e-book earlier than it was confiscated by the Ohio Division of Pure Sources in December.
At an arraignment listening to in Clinton County as we speak, Alexander entered a “not responsible” plea to the 23 felony fees leveled in opposition to him, together with jacklighting, tampering with proof, grand theft, and looking with out permission. Alexander was accompanied by his protection legal professional J.R. Bernans, who didn’t reply to a request for remark.
A Massive Buck Story Investigated
The saga started on Nov. 9 when Alexander shot a large buck in Clinton County, and he shared his story with Out of doors Life in early December. Alexander stated he shot the buck on his sister’s 9-acre property (although he initially claimed the property was 30 acres) with a crossbow borrowed from his buddy Cory Haunert. He defined that he and Haunert went again to his sister’s property the next day to recuperate the buck.
Inside weeks of when that OL story ran, nonetheless, rumors started to swirl on-line that Alexander had killed the buck on a special piece of personal property in Clinton County the place he didn’t have permission to hunt. And on Dec. 26, officers with the Ohio Division of Pure Sources launched a proper poaching investigation. They started by seizing the buck’s antlers from CJ’s condominium, together with different objects that they believed have been utilized in taking the deer.
The state’s investigation continued over the following 4 to 5 months, as many puzzled what would develop into of the “Alexander Buck” and debated whether or not the DNR’s allegations have been legitimate. Alexander maintained his innocence throughout this time, typically publicly by commenting on social media posts. He’s continued to take action in latest months on OL’s Instagram web page, even responding again to commenters.
Alexander additionally participated in interviews, the place he continued to say that he killed the buck legally on his sister’s property, and that he was being wrongly accused by the state. Showing on the Hunter’s Benefit podcast in January, he provided an in depth account of the hunt and the DNR’s subsequent investigation, which he claimed was insufficient. He contended that the state’s case was tenuously reliant on DNA that was discovered on two knives found on the website of the alleged poaching.
On the podcast, Alexander additionally mentioned allegations over the deer being poached from Clinton County prosecuting legal professional Andrew McCoy’s land and the place that property is situated in relation to Alexander’s sister’s property.
“Everybody one is saying it’s the D.A., which the [county prosecuting attorney] is Andrew McCoy. The man’s property that they declare I shot this deer on is William McCoy’s, that’s his brother,” Alexander stated. “However everyone seems to be saying it’s 20, 25 miles and it’s not. It’s actually half that. It’s 10.33 [miles] in the event you drop a pin on it and take it to my sister’s [property].”
Out of doors Life
Indictment by Grand Jury
Up till early Could, many hunters had come to Alexander’s protection, claiming overreach by the DNR. Public opinion shifted, nonetheless, when a Clinton County grand jury handed down a hefty, 22-page felony indictment in opposition to Alexander on Could 10. Ohio legal professional normal Dave Yost introduced the indictment, which included 23 felony fees in opposition to Alexander, together with extra fees for Haunert and Alexander’s sister for his or her roles within the cover-up scheme that investigators allege came about after the buck was killed.
“Wildlife officers found by warranted searches of mobile phone information that Christopher Alexander had illegally hunted the trophy buck on non-public property about 10 miles from his sister’s land, and later realized that the written permission from his sister he had introduced to wildlife officers had been falsified — after the deer was killed — to mislead authorities,” the legal professional normal’s workplace wrote in a press launch. “Proof revealed Christopher Alexander staged the deer taking at his sister’s property with the assistance of Corey P. Haunert and his brother, Zachary R. Haunert, to hide the poaching.”
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A more in-depth take a look at the indictment additionally reveals that Alexander has been accused by the state of poaching not one, however two bucks on a roughly 50-acre piece of personal property in Clinton County the place he didn’t have permission to hunt. The primary buck had a gross rating of 150 inches, and investigators allege that Alexander killed that buck on the property and not using a license on Jan. 7 2023. The state alleges that Alexander then returned to the identical piece of personal property to hunt and not using a license or permission between Oct. 21 and early November, and that he killed the 200-plus-inch “Alexander Buck” there on Nov. 9.
The state alleges that Alexander then recovered the trophy buck and introduced it to his sister’s property on Nov. 10, the place he and Haunert tampered with proof (a third-degree felony) by staging the taking of the deer and photographing the buck. Alexander additionally faces 4 felony fees of theft by deception for allegedly promoting the rack to an antler purchaser for $10,000; promoting his model of the story to a deer-hunting journal (not Out of doors Life) for $2,0000; and signing a promotional deal price $8,000 to make use of photos of him and the buck to advertise the corporate’s merchandise.
What’s Subsequent?
An arraignment is taken into account the official begin of a felony trial, the place the accused is knowledgeable of the fees in opposition to them and is usually requested to enter a plea. Alexander and his legal professional entered a “not responsible” plea to all 23 of the fees, in response to the clerk of courts in Clinton County. The clerk says Alexander is scheduled for a pre-trial listening to on July 19, however that it’s unknown at this level if he shall be tried earlier than a jury.
Alexander may face incarceration if convicted. A 3rd-degree felony sometimes carries a jail sentence of 9 months to a few years in jail, in response to an Ohio legal professional’s web site, together with fines of as much as $10,000.
Alexander can also be concerned in a separate civil case that was filed by the state of Ohio to hunt restitution for the 2 bucks he allegedly poached. That case is being heard in Clinton County Municipal Courtroom, with the following court docket date scheduled for August 5. In a letter despatched to Alexander by the DNR on the identical day he was indicted, the company places the worth of the 150-inch buck at $4,625, and the worth of the “Alexander Buck” at $35,071.73.
“The case is within the palms of the court docket,” ODNR spokesperson Karina Cheung tells Out of doors Life in an emailed assertion.