Two Poachers Sentenced

A 27-year-old Potosi man was fined $10,578 and had his hunting privileges revoked for three years on 13 of 60 illegal hunting charges dating back to 2021. Brandon Steeley pleaded guilty in Grant County Circuit Court to five counts of illegal hunting of deer, two counts of failure to register a deer, misdemeanor attempted theft of movable property, and resisting a conservation warden. Steely pleaded no contest and was fined for leaving a carcass without an attachment tag, failure to complete hunting registration, and improperly transporting game from another state. 33-year-old Robert Mergen has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of failure to register a deer, four counts of illegal hunting, and party to illegal hunting. Mergan is free on bond with a status conference scheduled for August 15. The investigation into Steeley and Mergen started after Steeley shot a 14-point buck from the road during doe-only season then used the deer to enter the Midwest Hunting contest.