Animal was allegedly roadkill, LDWF says
Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cited a 61-year-old Winnsboro man on Sept. 9 after authorities allegedly found a dead spotted fawn in his Franklin Parish restaurant cooler.
According to a news release, agents cited Somchanh Chanthapanya, 61, for possessing the animal after receiving a tip from the Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Office, which had conducted a security check on his restaurant, the Garden Hen.
A deputy who had found an open door and went inside allegedly found the dead fawn in the restaurant’s cooler, the release states. After getting the tip from the FPSO, enforcement agents with the LDWF responded and allegedly found Chanthapanya butchering the fawn at his residence.
Chanthapanya told agents he found the fawn on the side of Highway 17 as roadkill and took it to his cooler at his restaurant, the release states. When he received information that a deputy may have found the fawn in the cooler, he took it to his house, according to the release.
Possession of a spotted fawn carries a $500 to $750 fine and up 15 to 30 days in jail, according to the release.