Trenton Man Pleads Guilty Of Poaching
By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor
Two Georgia men, one of whom is from Trenton, plead guilty this April of poaching on federal land. This July, the federal court case resulted in both men being fined.
Two years ago, William Lough of Trenton and Jonathan Plaster of Rossville poached two white-tail deer in Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The state and federal charges were:
- Hunting in a closed area
- Hunting without a license
- Falsifying records
- Violating the Chronic Wasting Disease restriction
- Firearm possession by a prohibited person
- Providing a false statement
- Destruction of a natural area
An investigation ensued, concluding with both men pleading guilty and being issued fines by U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Steger.
As “The Chattanoogan” reported, “The US Forest Service allows hunting on 650,000 acres in 10 Tennessee counties, TVA provides 175,000 acres, and TWRA makes over 7,000 acres available to the public for hunting.” However, the military park is closed to all hunting and trapping.
