The Brunswick Police Department busted two alleged poachers on Monday after they were discovered with two dead deer early in the morning that they reportedly shot from inside a vehicle.
[RELATED: Former Game Warden Calls Out the Political Agenda Taking Hold of Maine’s Fish & Wildlife Service…]
At around 1:46 a.m., Brunswick officers noticed a suspicious vehicle traveling on Pleasant Hill Road allegedly committing multiple traffic infractions and initiated a stop.
The officer approached the vehicle and allegedly noticed a loaded crossbow on the passenger seat and two dead deer in the back.
According to police, the vehicle’s sole occupant, Lee Holbrook, 36, of Durham, admitted that he had just shot both deer from inside his vehicle.
During the investigation, officers determined that a second suspect was also involved in the illegal night hunting activities.
Officers tracked the second suspect, Robert Little, 36, of Lewiston, by following his fresh footprints in the snow and eventually located him on Pleasant Street.
Holbrook faces charges of operating after suspension, having a loaded crossbow inside a motor vehicle, night hunting, illegal possession of wild animals, hunting without a license, unlawful discharge of archery equipment, and unlawful use of artificial lights.
Little faces charges of night hunting and unlawful discharge of archery equipment.
Little was issued a summons for a court appearance at the West Bath District Court on February 3 and was released.
Holbrook was placed on probation hold and transported to the Cumberland County Jail.
Police contacted the Maine State Warden Service for assistance with the investigation. Wardens took custody of the two deer, which will be donated to local food pantries.
