Record-Class Buck Poached in Ohio

The sordid saga of a 28-year-old man and a poached potential state-record buck ended with Ohio officers handing down a extreme sentence together with incarceration, a hefty wonderful, forfeiture of searching tools and revocation of searching privileges for not less than a decade.

C.J. Alexander and three different accomplices have been sentenced for aiding Alexander with a coverup after he allegedly shot a large mainframe 18-point, 200-inch wild buck nicknamed “Megatron” in November 2023. Brothers Corey and Zachary Haunert, and Alexander’s sister, Kristina M. Alexander, pleaded responsible in October 2024 for his or her roles within the case. They have been sentenced individually.

In accordance with court docket data, Christopher J. “CJ” Alexander, 28, of Wilmington, Ohio, claimed he shot the buck in 2023 in Clinton County, Ohio, with a borrowed crossbow on 9 acres his sister owned. Earlier than it was seized, the buck was scored by the Ohio’s Buckeye Large Buck Membership, which makes use of the Boone and Crockett scoring system, and given a inexperienced rating of 206 7/8 inches typical, together with a gross nontypical rating of 235 7/8. The buck would’ve been the No. 1 typical in Ohio and probably the No. 3 largest all-time buck on the Boone & Crockett record. Alexander caught along with his story for a few yr, even after his story and images have been revealed and Ohio Division of Pure Sources investigators started trying into the state of affairs. 

In actuality, the investigation turned up a plan to pursue the buck on 49 acres of personal land on which Alexander didn’t have permission to hunt. Textual content messages and GPS metadata uncovered throughout the ODNR investigation revealed dates, occasions, areas, calls, movies, social media and different data for Alexander and his accomplices. They confirmed that he and the others deliberate the hunt on which he killed the buck, after which the staged scene on his sister’s property to make it appear to be he killed it there. Alexander maintained his innocence all through the investigation till October 2024, when he allegedly modified his thoughts.

“Looking in Ohio is a time-honored custom, and there’s a correct option to be secure and profitable,” Ohio Lawyer Common Dave Yost stated in a press launch. “When dangerous actors like these guys attempt to cheat the system, it ruins the status of Ohio’s revered sportsmen and ladies – I can’t stand for that.”

For nearly a yr, Alexander caught along with his story. Officers stated he profited from the unlawful poaching by promoting the antlers to an antler purchaser, and the unique rights to his story to a nationwide searching journal. He additionally tried to promote the story elsewhere, officers stated, and signed a promotional settlement with a searching firm. Ohio DNR confiscated the antlers and different searching tools in late December 2023 when it formally started the investigation.

Alexander was indicted in June 2024 on 23 fees. He in the end pleaded responsible final October to 14 fees, together with one felony rely every of theft by deception and tampering with proof. The 12 different fees – all misdemeanors – included searching violations, falsification, jacklighting and the sale of wildlife elements.

Alexander’s sentence requires him to:

Serve 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended and the opposite 90 days served on the Star Neighborhood Justice Middle earlier than he will be eligible for work launch (his sentence additionally consists of an as much as 36-month suspended jail time period that turns into energetic if neighborhood management is revoked)
Serve 5 years of neighborhood management
Pay $39,696.73 to the Ohio Wildlife Fund and $2,000 in restitution to KSE Sportsman Media, DBA Out of doors Sportsman Group-IM
Pay $1,000 in restitution to the poaching hotline, a $1,000 wildlife wonderful and court docket prices
Enter a four- to six-month community-based program by the Star Neighborhood Justice Middle
Write letters of apology to affected events
Forfeit all hunting-related property seized by the Ohio Division of Pure Sources’ Division of Wildlife as proof
Lose his searching license for at least 10 years; if full restitution is just not paid by then, the license stays revoked till full fee is made.

Alexander’s accomplices have been sentenced individually final October.

Corey Haunert, 29, of Hillsboro, Ohio, pleaded responsible to 6 fees, the a lot of the three accomplices. His sentence requires:

Three years of neighborhood management.
90 days in jail (90 days suspended on the situation that he full 200 hours of neighborhood service).
A 3-year revocation of his searching license.
Forfeiture of all hunting-related property seized as proof.
A $500 wildlife wonderful, $500 in restitution to the poaching hotline and court docket prices.
An as much as 18-month suspended jail time period which will grow to be energetic if his neighborhood management is revoked.

Kristina Alexander, 37, of Blanchester, Ohio, pleaded responsible to 2 fees. She was sentenced to at least one yr of monitored time supervision, suspended jail sentence of 60 days, a $500 wildlife wonderful and $500 restitution wonderful to poaching hotline, and court docket prices.

Zachary Haunert, 31, of Lebanon, Ohio, pleaded responsible to at least one cost. He was sentenced the identical as Alexander, though his fines have been $250 every.

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