The Ontario government is safeguarding deer populations by ensuring hunters abide by hunting regulations.
Luigi Centurami of Stoney Creek pleaded guilty to trespassing and possessing unlawfully killed wildlife and was fined $6,000.
Steve Tsiliganos also of Stoney Creek pleaded guilty to trespassing, possessing a loaded firearm within eight metres of a roadway and possessing illegally killed wildlife. He was fined $4,000.
The court heard that on November 14, 2018, conservation officers investigated information of a deer that had been shot on private property along the Duck Lake Road near the town of Minden.
It was determined that Centurami and Tsiliganos were travelling together in a pickup truck along the road when Tsiliganos exited the vehicle and shot a white-tailed deer on land that was posted as private property. Both individuals accessed the property to retrieve the deer.
The investigation involved a conservation officer canine unit, the OPP Forensic Identification Services, and the Trent University Wildlife DNA forensics lab.
Justice of the Peace Mark Donohue heard Centurami’s case remotely on May 24, 2023 and Justice of the Peace Herbert Radtke heard the Tsiliganos case remotely on October 17, 2022, both in the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay.
To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, please visit ontario.ca/mnrftips.