A man is facing multiple charges in connection with an alleged bow shooting after the carcasses of nine deer were found scattered around Cody, Wyoming.
Joshua Tamirat Wielhouwer, 20, turned himself in after fleeing a foot chase with Wyoming game wardens patrolling the Park County area.
Weilhouwer faces 18 counts of trophy hunting: nine counts of unlicensed taking of a big game animal and nine counts of wanton destruction of big game animals.
He was pursued on foot by Wyoming Game and Fish Department game warden Spencer Carstens, who spotted the suspect carrying a compound bow.
Court documents said two males, six females and a fawn were killed and found with hunting arrow wounds between Aug. 27 and Sept. 4 in Cody, including one found floating in a pond. State of the Cowboys Diary reported.
Joshua Tamirat Wielhouwer, 20, was arrested on 18 counts of big game hunting charges after nine mule deer were killed with bow-like wounds in Cody, Wyoming.
Carstens and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department collected security footage as part of their investigation, which shows a silver car that matched the one found at the scene of the foot chase, according to the Powell’s Tribune.
Each Class A misdemeanor charge carries a fine of up to $10,000 and one year in jail.
Wielhouwer is currently in custody and has been held on $36,000 bail. His defense attorney has entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.
Cody’s deer population has suffered a recent decline due to harsh winters. It is legal to hunt deer within Wyoming city limits with licenses and permits issued by landowners.
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