Two men were busted Jan. 15 for allegedly selling deer to undercover agents in a year-long undercover operation, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported yesterday.
Henry Rineheart, 34, of Plaquemine was booked on five counts of selling deer into the Iberville Parish Jail.
Aaron Comeaux, 35, Gueydan, was issued a citation in West Baton Rouge for allegedly selling four deer to undercover agents. Comeaux also is accused of selling three alligators to the agents.
Agents accuse Rineheart of selling five deer to an undercover agent during an investigation that started back in January 2009.
The arrests mark the first of several to come for selling deer to undercover agents throughout Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes. Uniformed agents from the area were executing warrants for the other suspects involved in the investigation on Wednesday.
If Rineheart is released from the Iberville Parish Jail, he will be booked into the West Baton Rouge Parish Jail for selling deer to undercover agents in Port Allen, according to the LDWF.
The deer in the case were seized, and are now being held as evidence.
Penalties for selling deer include fines between $500 and $750, jail time between 15 to 30 days or both plus court costs. If convicted, he also will be assessed civil restitution for the illegal deer at $524.54 each.
In connection with the alligator-selling allegation, Comeaux also faces restitution of $35 per foot and $2.21 per pound for each animal.