$100k in stolen property recovered during poaching bust.
Poaching often goes hand-in-hand with other crimes. But a bust earlier this month in Oklahoma takes that to an extreme level.
Law enforcement recovered more than $100,000 in stolen property.
On Oct. 7, game warden Ty Runyan went to investigate a report of someone illegally hunting from horseback on Pontotoc County. This led to him discovering a truck and a horse trailer. After running the tags, he was able to find an address and get a search warrant after local law enforcement and a landowner revealed the truck may be connected with stolen property.
But what officers found at the home likely surprised them. Here's the list from the Oklahoma Game Wardens' Facebook page.
- 4 stolen firearms and ammunition
- 3 stolen atv's
- 1 stolen John Deere zero turn mower
- 3 stolen trailers
- Stolen tools
- Drug paraphernalia including 30g of meth and one active meth lab
- 3 stolen saddles
They also found 14 poached deer heads.
Not only did they steal the firearms, but they altered at least one.
"There was a Mossberg AR-15 with a suppressor made out of a Maglite (aluminum flashlight) and a Ruger 10-22 with a brown stock on the gun rack," Pontotoc County Deputy Shandy Wegrzyn told the Ada News. "Central Dispatch checked both firearms and the AR-15 was confirmed stolen out of Garvin County."
The Ada News additionally reported upon further investigation that many items on the property had their serial or VIN numbers ground off.
"There were multiple vehicle parts in several different piles around the property," Wegrzyn said. "Multiple power tools, welders, cutting torches, trailers, cars, trucks, one semi, multiple farm implements, compressors, after market four-wheeler wheels, chainsaws, weed eaters, lawn mowers, a large wood splitter, fishing poles, car stereos, speakers and speaker boxes."
Law enforcement arrested 52-year-old Carl Martin Ross and 38-year-old Natasha Lynn Ross for a whole list of crimes aside from the stolen property. They're also suspected of child endangerment, concealing stolen property, operating a chop shop, drug trafficking and possession of marijuana.
Carl Ross is also a suspect for firearm possession after a felony conviction and possessing an illegal suppressor. As if all that wasn't enough, Ross also allegedly threatened Wegrzyn over an inmate phone and had his $250,000 bail denied.
Natasha, however, had her $100,000 bail posted and was released.
We've heard some pretty crazy stories about poachers committing other crimes, but this is on different level. We'll keep an eye on this story and let you know more about the outcome when it happens here at Wide Open Spaces.
NEXT: THESE ARE 8 OF THE DUMBEST POACHERS YOU'LL EVER COME ACROSS
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