On Saturday, December 14, 2024, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) charged three Vermont residents for their alleged roles in a shooting incident in Washington County in November 2024.
Vermont Game Wardens and State Police investigated and determined that on November 30, the trio drove through the town of Salem, in Washington County, NY, in search of a whitetail deer to shoot illegally from the road.
Once they spotted a buck, the driver attempted to shoot the animal from the vehicle but pulled the firearm back inside when a truck pulled up behind the car. The rifle discharged inside the vehicle and a bullet went through the driver’s hand and out the door of the vehicle.
The group drove back to Vermont and reported the incident, claiming it occurred in that state. After an investigation, the shooter admitted the incident happened in New York and Vermont law enforcement turned the information over to ECO Krug.
Krug and Investigator Panipinto interviewed the three subjects and arrested the shooter, a convicted felon, for criminal possession of a weapon, hunting without a license, possession of a loaded gun in a motor vehicle, discharging a firearm over a highway, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a farm structure.
The shooter spent five days at Albany Medical Center recovering from his injuries. The other two subjects received a total of seven tickets for charges related to the shooting.
On December 15, 2024, the day after charging the Vermont shooters, ECO Muchow responded to reports from a resident in the town of Arcade, in Wyoming County, NY, who reported having witnessed an individual shoot a turkey in their field.
The caller provided the Officer with a picture of a boot print left in the snow on the property, a vehicle description, potential license plate number, and the alleged subject’s location.
ECO Muchow arrived at the subject’s residence and observed a boot print in the snow matching the one in the picture and two turkey feathers leading to the garage. After an investigation, the individual admitted he had shot the turkey from a roadway and given the carcass to his friend as a birthday present.
Officer Muchow seized the turkey from the friend and issued five tickets to the subject for taking wildlife from a public roadway, illegal use of a rifle to hunt turkey, possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, taking game out of season, and discharging a firearm on a public highway.
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