A hunter in Virginia is facing jail time and more after pleading guilty to killing a well-known and beloved deer on the premises of the historic Hollywood Cemetery.
Two hunters were involved in the killing of the “Hollywood Buck,” each facing separate charges.
Jason Walters of Richmond, Virginia, pleaded guilty to all 20 misdemeanors that he faced while in Richmond General District Court, as Fox Richmond and other outlets reported.
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For the “non-jailable offenses,” Walters will receive fines on all counts and restitution totaling over $13,000, Denise Anderson, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the Virginia Commonwealth, told Fox News Digital via email.
The Richmond poacher has been sentenced to a total of 80 months, with 76 of those suspended.
“Walters will be serving an active sentence of 4 months in the Richmond Jail, and have nearly 7 years of suspended jail time over his head,” Anderson continued.
“All provisions are conditioned upon him complying with all other terms of his plea agreement, maintaining good behavior and obeying all laws of the Commonwealth and the City of Richmond.”
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Walters’ hunting license has been revoked for 100 years, with 75 years suspended — meaning a minimum of 25 years of active loss of his license.
His remaining 75 years is conditioned upon Walters’ compliance with all terms of the plea agreement.
Alan Proffitt was the second hunter involved in the killing of the beloved “Hollywood Buck.”
“Alan Proffitt pleaded guilty to all 6 charges. He received a $250 fine on the 5 counts, which were not bailable,” Anderson stated.
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“On the remaining count he received 6 months in jail with 5 months suspended. His hunting license privileges were also revoked for 5 years with 4 years suspended on each of the 6 counts, totaling a 6-year loss of his hunting privileges, also conditioned upon him maintaining good behavior and obeying all laws of the Commonwealth and the City of Richmond.”
‘A real showstopper’
The story made headlines after photos of a giant buck that had been killed by a Virginia hunter were posted on a Facebook page run by Jeff Phillips called Star City Whitetails.
There, hunters throughout Virginia share their hunting achievements and photographic evidence.
Every year during deer season in Virginia, Phillips holds a buck contest, he said.
Hunting enthusiasts can send in photos of their biggest prizes — as Walters did.
“All three deer were harvested in that cemetery.”
“This one particular hunter had shared a couple bucks in November of last year that were pretty nice deer, and then he sent in a third one … Ultimately, all three deer were harvested in that cemetery, but the third one was a real showstopper,” Phillips told Fox News Digital.
The Facebook page host did not think anything of the photos Walters had sent him and posted the assumed accomplishment on his major page.
“Prince Edward County killed with 50 cal muzzleloader, shot this morning 713am at 20 yards, my 3rd mounter this year! Biggest buck of my LIFE,” the original caption stated, using words presumably submitted by the hunter himself.
The unusual 29-point whitetail was immediately recognized by internet sleuths as the buck that resided near Hollywoord Cemetery because of its distinctive antlers.
Phillips quickly realized it was the legendary “Hollywood Buck.”
“I posted on my page, and within probably 10 minutes, somebody that follows my page sent me a private message, with some pictures that a wildlife photographer in that Richmond area had taken of this deer” — and Phillips quickly realized it was the legendary “Hollywood Buck.”
While the comments section at first was filled with congratulatory messages, users quickly turned against the poacher by sharing their own photos of the famous buck.
In less than 24 hours, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources reached out to Phillips for any information he had on Walters and the photos he had received for his Facebook page, he said.
“Members of the hunting and wildlife viewing communities alerted DWR Law Enforcement that they recognized the buck pictured as one that frequented the Hollywood Cemetery in the Oregon Hill neighborhood of Richmond, expressing concern that the buck had been killed illegally,” the Virginia Department of Wildlife reported in a press release last year.
The Department of Wildlife Resources Law Enforcement was able to recover evidence and contact the suspect before determining that the buck indeed had been killed illegally.
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“The illegal killing of the Hollywood Cemetery buck is a serious violation of Virginia’s wildlife laws and will be a priority for the Conservation Police Officers assigned to the investigation until all leads have been exhausted, all evidence has been collected, and those involved have been charged,” Major Ryan Shuler, Deputy Chief of DWR Law Enforcement, stated in the release.
The legendary “Hollywood Buck” had roamed the grounds of the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond for years and quickly became a favorite creature of those who lived in the neighborhood.
Ultimately, it was the size of the buck that made it so beloved and recognizable.
“The deer with a rack and antlers like that needs to be 6 or 7 years old,” said Phillips. “It would need to be [that age] before they would be at their potential and that deer was able to live out its life [or rather] the majority of its life, you know, in privacy and protection.”
He added, “But the key is that there were deer living in that neighborhood, ultimately, or in that cemetery, and there’s no hunting there.”
Phillips was amazed that Walters ultimately was the one to expose himself by sharing the photos with Star City Whitetails.
“There’s people that [kill] just for the glory of [it] — an ego [boost],” he said.
He said he hoped that “him getting in trouble for this will change the way in which he operates.”
While the circumstances weren’t happy, Phillips said he is still grateful that his Facebook page was able to play a key role in the man’s apprehension.
“My page and the folks who follow it were of huge significance and help to law enforcement to get this guy caught — because had he not posted those pictures, he probably never would have [been caught],” Phillips said.
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