WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - A group of seven pipeline company workers from Louisiana and Arkansas were arrested Sunday and charged with illegally killing deer in northern Wyoming County.
Wildlife Conservation Officer Victor Rosa said that a woman who lived off of Stang Road in Washington Township called 911 at 11 p.m. Saturday, saying she had heard shots fired in a field.
Rosa investigated the scene with fellow Wildlife Conservation Officer William Pierce and staked out the area for about 90 minutes when a pickup truck seemed to be pacing the road, stopping briefly at the location of a dead deer, then driving away and coming back, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The truck eventually stopped again, and the officers saw two people throw an object into the rear of the truck before driving away.
The officers stopped the truck and removed the men inside, according to the affidavit. They were: Timothy A. Barnett Jr., 26, of Imboden, Ark.; Kenneth Preston Aden, 28, and Jonathan Ervin Aden, 23, both of Oakdale, La.; James Christopher Lowe, 32, of Pitkin, La., and Weldon James Thibodeaux, 35, of Pineville, La.
Rosa said the men were in the area working for Elite Energy Services LLC of Camptown.
Rosa found an antlered white-tailed deer in the bed of the 2008 Silverado belonging to Barnett.
According to the complaint, Barnett admitted to the unlawful killing of the deer, and the others also admitting involvement.
No firearm was recovered from the vehicle, however.
According to the complaint, the weapon had been dropped off earlier about five miles away at the Ellsworth Hill Road residence of the Aden brothers and Lowe in Auburn Township, Susquehanna County.
When the officers arrived at the residence, they found blood leading into the side door of a detached garage. Once inside the home, they found Robert Shaun Saules, 31, and Steve Larry Ware, 58, both of Oakdale, La.
Saules admitted to taking a white-tailed buck earlier in the week and said he had been involved with several similar incidents in the past several weeks, according to the complaint.
Searches revealed six sets of antlers, all from recently killed deer.
A refrigerator and freezer both contained about 100 pounds of fresh cut deer meat, and a cooler on the front deck of the residence contained one large piece of fresh deer meat.
The complaint noted that Ware told Rosa he knew of the deer at the residence, but denied any involvement. However, Rosa said Ware had been implicated in the unlawful taking of one deer.
Barnett, Lowe, Kenneth Aden, Johnathan Aden and Thibodeaux face three counts each for possessing seven white-tail deer killed out of season.
Ware and Saules also face three counts each of unlawful taking of big game for possessing six white-tail deer in a closed season.
The men were arraigned Sunday before Magisterial District Judge Jennifer Vandine of Laporte and taken to the Wyoming County Prison.
Ware, Thibodeaux, Saules and Barnett were released after posting $10,000 bail, according to court records.
Each of the defendants faces a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge John Hovan in Tunkhannock Township Dec. 7.