116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Johnson County poaching probe ends with dozens of charges, including one felony
Six-month investigation started with December tip about deer poaching
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has charged four people with weapons-related and hunting violations after a six-month investigation in Johnson County.
Larry D. Jones, 36, of Cedar Rapids, has been charged with being a felon in control of a firearm, a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison. He faces more than two-dozen hunting-related charges in Linn and Johnson counties, the DNR reported.
Other Johnson County charges include:
- Steven M. Sinnett, 30, of Swisher, faces 13 hunting-related charges, including abandonment of dead or injured animal, violating restrictions on taking game, failure to report a harvest of a deer or turkey, not having a deer tag and hunting without a license.
- Tania M. Holdren, 42, of Cedar Rapids, faces three violations of restrictions on taking game and one county of failure to report harvest of a deer or turkey.
- Shane M. Yarrington, 42, of Cedar Rapids, faces a charge of failure to report harvest of a deer or turkey.
The investigation started in December when someone called Iowa’s Turn In Poachers (TIPS) line to report a buck deer had been illegally shot from the roadway onto private property in northern Johnson County, the news release states.
The investigation uncovered deer poaching violations that occurred over several years. Multiple violations occurred in 2020 including: hunting out of season, hunting without proper licenses, wanton waste of wildlife, overlimiting, unlawful method of take, tagging and reporting violations, illegal waterfowl hunting, and felon in possession of a firearm, the DNR reported.
Iowa DNR conservation officers encourage the public to continue to use the Turn In Poachers hotline (1-800-532-2020) and website (https://programs.iowadnr.gov/tip/) to report fish and wildlife crimes.
Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com
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