Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Stealing dead Loins

camofry

*Supporting Member*
I just read in The OhioOutdoor News where 5 guys was charged with with theft after being found with the carcass of one of the lions in there jeep from Muskingum Co.
 

camofry

*Supporting Member*
Zanesville, Ohio - Four men and a teenage boy were charged with theft after being allegedly found with the carcass of a lion in a Jeep in Muskingum County.

The lion was one of 48 exotic animals killed by Muskingum County deputies Oct. 18 after the animals' owner, Terry Thompson, apparently set the wild, dangerous animals free from cages and then fatally shot himself at his residence just west of Zanesville.

Deputies who responded to Thompson's residence on Kopchak Road noticed a Jeep Cherokee in the driveway and quickly made a traffic stop on the vehicle, according to sheriff's reports.

A search of the vehicle found a dead lion, which was unloaded and the carcass returned to the Thompson residence with other dead exotic animals. As a result of the discovery, deputies scoured the area nearby roads to remove other slain exotic animals to prevent thefts of carcasses, according to sheriff's reports.

Charged in Muskingum County Court in Zanesville on misdemeanor charges of theft were Cody Wilson, 21, of Byesville, Ohio; Brian Matthews, 21, of Kimbolton, Ohio; Joseph Jakubisin, 21, and Richard Weidlich, 20, both of Cambridge, Ohio. A 17-year-old person had charges filed in juvenile court. The person's name was not released.

The four adults have initial court hearings scheduled for Nov. 28. Each faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Deputies said they noticed the headlights of a vehicle near the farm and decided to stop it, according to reports released by the county sheriff's office.

Inside the Jeep, they found a dead male lion, the deputies said. They then removed the carcass, one of nine lions that had been housed at the compound, and closed down a road to prevent anyone else from getting near the dead animals.

Prosecutors wouldn't say what they believed the men and the boy planned to do with the lion's body.

Wilson, Weidlich and Matthews didn't have listed home telephone numbers. Jakubisin's number was no longer in service. There was no indication the men had hired attorneys.

Deputies have said they had no choice but to shoot the lions and other animals after they charged at them and were dangerously close to neighboring homes and an interstate highway.

Nearly all the cages had been unlocked, and holes were cut in the metal fencing.

Thompson, 62, had told a farmhand a day earlier that he was upset about his marital problems and that he had a plan, according to a deputy who talked with the caretaker.

Just days before Thompson set the animals free, he told a deputy that he was having a tough time taking care of them after spending a year in prison on a gun conviction. He also was deep in debt to the Internal Revenue Service.

Thompson bought his first exotic animal, a lion cub named Simba, at an auction for his wife's birthday about 14 years ago. He acquired other animals at auctions and from people who could no longer care for them.

Thompson's widow tried to claim six wild animals that survived their release and were recaptured, but the state Department of Agriculture ordered they be kept under quarantine at a zoo for the time being.

Gov. John Kasich, upon learning the widow planned to retrieve the animals, asked the agency to ensure they didn't pose a health threat. Earlier this year, Kasich let expire an order that might have prevented the Thompsons from owning exotic animals. He has signed a temporary order to use existing laws to crack down on such animals before new laws are proposed.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
 

buckbuster217

*Supporting Member*
3,136
85
Byesville, Ohio
One of the 21 year old douchebags and the 17 year old douchebag live about a half a block away from me in Byesville, and they are the perfect example why certain people shouldn't be allowed to reproduce, this stunt pales in comparison to some of their other ones!
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
One of the 21 year old douchebags and the 17 year old douchebag live about a half a block away from me in Byesville, and they are the perfect example why certain people shouldn't be allowed to reproduce, this stunt pales in comparison to some of their other ones!


What exactly did they do wrong? If you're hunting and shoot a hog that got away from a game farm. Would you be charged and arrested?
 

saddlepants

Member
1,224
0
central Ohio
Honestly I dont get it. It was dead, shot by the cops, and evidence recorded on film and pics. Any reason why the dead bodies should just be left to rot in piles on the property if somebody wants them?? ITS DEAD. Even if it had to be killed for public safety cause some other asshole did the wrong thing I see no reason at all to let it waste like that. IMHO they should have immediately been shipped to freezers and at least used for study. Even Taxidermy schools - anything but waste.
 

buckbuster217

*Supporting Member*
3,136
85
Byesville, Ohio
What exactly did they do wrong? If you're hunting and shoot a hog that got away from a game farm. Would you be charged and arrested?

The only thing I can say Jackalope is that you would have to meet them, remember the family beside us at the campout that had the kid riding on top of the blazer in the raft while Grandpa drove down the road? they pale in comparison th these guys, I can say for about 5 years there was never a dull moment in our neighborhood
 

saddlepants

Member
1,224
0
central Ohio
The only thing I can say Jackalope is that you would have to meet them, remember the family beside us at the campout that had the kid riding on top of the blazer in the raft while Grandpa drove down the road? they pale in comparison th these guys, I can say for about 5 years there was never a dull moment in our neighborhood

And I get that they were not the best guys to have around but at the same time - did they arrest them just to make an example out of them? Taking an unwanted dead carcass of an animal shouldnt be against the law. If its a protected species then they should treat it as they would a deer roadkill - make a report - tag it an let the bastards have it.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I get that they were shitbags... But theft? Could not the cops be charged with the same for killing them... As they did steal the life of the animal from the owner the wife. I kept saying you guys close should go knock on doors, get permission and kill you a lion or tiger.. Would it be right then for them to charge you with theft.. Not per our game laws.

I could see evidence tampering maybe... But even that's a stretch..

Last year a man in VC had 3 breeder bucks escape.. Each one over 180. He called the warden to notify him.. The warden said they were fair game. Word got out.. You've never seen so many trucks parked along public land.. Hunters ended up killing all 3 of them.. Even tagged them and checked them in... They guy was at the check station for days. Called the warden on one of the boys who tagged one in.... The warden said tough shit. Legal harvest.

This year a big bull elk got out from a farm.. Ended up down the road a couple miles... Someone saw it in a field and called the warden.... He showed up.. Got out.. Walked in the field about 100 yards from it and shot it 3 times with a shotgun. No questions asked.. The landowner wanted it. The warden gave it to him.... Gave the real owner a choice.. You can have it and a ticket. Or you can shut your whining and let the landowner have it.. No theft charges there.
 
Last edited:

buckbuster217

*Supporting Member*
3,136
85
Byesville, Ohio
I agree with ya Joe and SP, I figure after they were caught, had their names ran and the cops seen their records they figured they would make an example out of them. I wasn't agreeing with them being charged I was just letting everyone know what these guys were like, I can only imagine what they would of done with the lion if they weren't caught, but I can tell ya I bet our neighborhood would of been on the news because I'm sure they had a game plan!
 

saddlepants

Member
1,224
0
central Ohio
HAHA! I saw tracks on the land I used to hunt in Cosh Co. and I was like..DAAAAUUUMMM!! Turns out there were two bull elks get loose from a farm. One of my Not-amish-anymore friends saw it and he thought he was losing his mind. One guy got "chosen" to shoot it and keep it. Bastard. what would you do if you saw something "different" while hunting?? We also had a Wolverine down there seen by several of us.
 
There's private ownership of an animal and then there's non-indigenous game species.

An example: There were rumors of a cougar that was just east of me about 15 miles. I asked the GW if there was anything keeping me from hunting and shooting it. The GW said, I could shoot it with my weapon of choice and keep it. However, if the owners come foreward and claim it, there could be charges against me for destruction of private property. BUT, if the owners can not produce the legal propagation permits to show legal ownership, the charges will be dropped against me and the state will perfer charges against the owners.

About a year or two ago, there was a bull elk in the area of Grand Lake St. Marys. Some landowner shot it with a 7 Mag., had some pics taken for the local paper and processed the meat. Even the GW posed with the landowner, for a pic and said it wasn't a resident species and was fair game for anyone to take.

As for the dangerous game animals in Zanesville, they were privately owned, but their escape/release from their cages posed a threat to the residents. If a private individual had shot one of the cats, charges could've been brought against that person, for destruction of private property. Since law enforcement acted in behalf of the preservation of the civilian population, no charges could be brought against them.

Why the animals were not destroyed...burnt, I have no idea. Having burried them, just left an open door for possible theft and resale of the parts to questionable markets. A possible ploy by local law enforcement to recoupe some of their alleged $8500 in losses to the event. :smiley_chinrub:

The entire situation stinks!
Bowhunter57
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
There's private ownership of an animal and then there's non-indigenous game species.

An example: There were rumors of a cougar that was just east of me about 15 miles. I asked the GW if there was anything keeping me from hunting and shooting it. The GW said, I could shoot it with my weapon of choice and keep it. However, if the owners come foreward and claim it, there could be charges against me for destruction of private property. BUT, if the owners can not produce the legal propagation permits to show legal ownership, the charges will be dropped against me and the state will perfer charges against the owners.

About a year or two ago, there was a bull elk in the area of Grand Lake St. Marys. Some landowner shot it with a 7 Mag., had some pics taken for the local paper and processed the meat. Even the GW posed with the landowner, for a pic and said it wasn't a resident species and was fair game for anyone to take.

As for the dangerous game animals in Zanesville, they were privately owned, but their escape/release from their cages posed a threat to the residents. If a private individual had shot one of the cats, charges could've been brought against that person, for destruction of private property. Since law enforcement acted in behalf of the preservation of the civilian population, no charges could be brought against them.

Why the animals were not destroyed...burnt, I have no idea. Having burried them, just left an open door for possible theft and resale of the parts to questionable markets. A possible ploy by local law enforcement to recoupe some of their alleged $8500 in losses to the event. :smiley_chinrub:

The entire situation stinks!
Bowhunter57


There are actually stipulations in the ORC for such a happening.. I remember it specified pigs are fair game in 3 days and cows are like a week before the owner forfeits rights and anyone can kill them.. Indigenous things are immediately, deer, elk etc.. So since they shot a lion they get theft charges.. If it was a bear Scott free.. :smiley_chinrub: