RIPLEY, Maine — Five people have been charged in connection with the illegal night killing of four deer in Somerset County earlier this month.
Jesse Kwasniewski, 21, Maynard Kwasniewski, 42, Roger Bickmore, 23, Vicki Boutilier, 44, all of Harmony, and a 17-year old girl from Dexter are facing charges related to the dead deer, Cpl. John McDonald of the Maine Warden Service said in a news release.
The investigation started when three dead deer were discovered in a field in Ripley in southern Somerset County on Oct. 8, MacDonald said.
After obtaining warrants, wardens learned of another deer that was hunted after dark early in October and yet another deer that had recently been run over by a vehicle, MacDonald said.
The driver allegedly kept the deer, MacDonald said, and did not report the accident to any law enforcement agency.
Officials allege Jesse Kwasniewski was the primary person responsible for killing all the deer, according to MacDonald.
Officers also found drug evidence at two other residences, according to McDonald, but specifics were not immediately available.
Jesse Kwasniewski is facing the most serious of the charges. He was arrested and charged with three counts of night hunting and one count of hunting while under the influence of intoxicants, along with hunting or possessing deer in closed season, shooting too close to a dwelling, shooting from a motor vehicle and hunting without a license, according to MacDonald.
Maynard Kwasniewski, Jesse’s father, was arrested on a warrant and summoned in connection with alleged drug violations, MacDonald said. He also received a summons in connection with allegedly placing bait to entice deer and allegedly possessing unlabeled deer meat, according to MacDonald.
Bickmore and Boutilier are each facing a charge of possession of deer killed at night, while the teenager was charged with night hunting, illuminating wildlife and illegal transportation of deer.
Jesse and Maynard Kwasniewski were taken to Somerset County Jail. MacDonald said three additional suspects are expected to be charged at a later date.
I have zero tolerance for people that do not respect the fish and wildlife laws in Maine. We have wonderful resources here in our State and an abundant supply of animals and fish to kill and consume. When people just take what they want it depletes a territory from a healthy animal habitat for years. If anyone needs proof just look at downeast Maine.
I agree. Of course the fact that the IFW has removed the rights of land owners to hunt and use personal property as they WISH is a bigger tragedy. Hell I can not even hunt on MY land on Sundays.
As for downeast ( where I live ) the IFW has ignored our deer for many years we say the yotes are hurting the deer the ifw says NA! We start to get Turkeys back and the IFW says hey lets sell more permits! You own PRIVATE property and the IFW ignores the no trespassing signs and enters your land without any cause or warrant. Yes please look at downeast ans see what they do!
NO hunting on Sunday is a State LAW! I don’t care if you have 100.000 acres.
yeah that is travismaines point. why cant i hunt on my own property any day i please? When i was a kid i would check traps with my grand father,on sunday when we went out we could not bring a firearm to dispatch caught animals so guess what? yup,we clubbed them to death.what a brutal way to go. state law,indeed
If you trapped (which I highly doubt) then you know the way to kill an animal in a foot hole trap, instead of an instant kill type, is to club it. Done properly, it only takes on hit. A true trapper never shoots a fur animal because the risk is too great that it would damage the fur and lower the value of the pelt rendering the kill of beautiful animal pointless. The only animal that people have trapped in the Maine woods that gets is bullet is a bear.
And “this is my own property” argument is garbage. Laws are on the books to protect the rights of all Mainers. So if Roxanne Quimby wanted to buy up all the land in Maine (she is on her way) and slaughter every animal on it that’s OK because it is hers? Gigantic ecosystems are allowed to be destroyed because someone other then the government owns the land?
It is people that have the short sighted selfish mentality that they can do whatever they want in the woods or on their own property that give us responsible outdoors men a bad name. After reading some of these posts I don’t wonder why some people can’t stand the thought of hunters. I can’t stand some hunters today either.
Now the man or woman that loves the outdoors, obeys the laws of Maine, harvests what they are allowed to by law to consume, with very little waste, are people I want to share the woods with. I don’t want to share it with some white trash fool that feels he is entitled to everything out there because he owns a gun.
Happy hunting.
a .22 in the head is a good way to dispatch an animal in a foot hold trap.clubbing an animal only makes the animal rights crowd get all worked up.and by the way bushfan are you a mindless bush fan like the mindless obama fans or have you admitted that there were no WMD’s in iraq?
Correct. It is a leftover blue law. That siad the IFW supports keeping it!!! IF it is MY land the I should be able to hunt on it when I want to.. This is what the FOUNDERS stated clearly many many times.
You are WRONG.
By your logic then people should be able to grow marijuana and manufacture other drugs on their own property, such as meth How about a hunter hunting while intoxicated? The hunter shoots and misses his/her target, the bullet travels through someone elses property and into a home killing someone. “Oh sorry bout that , but I fired from my property”. Dumping of toxic chemicals? Sure, because its your land.. Why stop there? Lets let landowners commit murder on their own land. Molest a kid or produce child pornography? I guess it’s ok if its done on your own proprty? So basicaly, any Maine law does not need to be obided by as long as your on your own property. How big of a tragedy do you think any of those things would be? I’m not saying you would want to do any of those things. However, there are laws on the books for reasons, whether or not your on your own property.
You can really see the family resemblance.Wish theyd post ALL of the pics!
welcome to the wall of shame outside cabela’s.
poaching to put food on your table is one thing, shooting and then leaving 3 deer to rot is another. this clown deserves some serious jail time and loss of his hunting/fishing licenses for life
Loss of hunting license ??
Reread the article !!
Sunday hunting, night hunting, drunk hunting …….
Dont need no stinking license for all those activities.
Never did , never will.
Flat landers…….. They won’t even take his license away.
wrong.all locals. most are well known to local law enforcement
Duh…. Guys, you are not living in the Ozarks!
You have an unrealistic view of Maine. It is worse than the Ozarks.
Or “better” than the Ozarks, depending on your point of view!! YEEEEE-HAW BUBBA!!
Excellent! Great that they caught the SOBs so soon. They look like something right out of Deliverance. Yikes. Put them away for a long time, please!
Is that banjos I hear in the background?
Big hunters!!!!
I can not say on this form what should be done to people who kill for no reason. DISGUSTING!!
boutlier s been a poacher all his life ,it was handed down from family.
Venison can bring a good price from a hunter from away who comes here to party with his buddies and needs something to take home.