Indiana Conservation Officers are reporting that a Dubois County man has been convicted of illegally taking what most hunters would consider a buck of a lifetime. 

Mark Gill, age 56, of Holland, harvested a non-typical 20 point buck with more than 200 inches of antler during the 2016 season after already taking a buck earlier that archery season. This violated the state of Indiana’s one-buck rule. 

As part of his plea agreement with the Dubois County Prosecutor’s office Gill’s hunting license privileges will be suspended for a period of two years, he will serve 100 hours of community service, be on probation for 540 days and pay $741 in fines and court costs including a $500 replacement fee. 

It was determined that Gill caped out the second harvested buck of the 2016 season and froze it until the 2017 season before checking it in. By doing this he provided false information to Indiana’s deer harvest information system. 

Because of his Indiana hunting license suspension, Gill will be entered into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. This is an agreement that recognizes suspension of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses in 48 member states. The only states not currently in the violator compact are Massachusetts and Hawaii. 

Gill pled guilty to unlawful taking of a white-tailed deer (Class B Misdemeanor) and providing false information to a check station (Class C Misdemeanor).  

The TIP (Turn In a Poacher) program, which is a way for anonymous callers to provide information about wildlife crimes, was used in this case. The program has local origins, having been started by what is now the Dubois County Sportsman Club in the early 1980s. It eventually transitioned to a state program providing monetary reimbursement for information leading to an arrest. During the 2018 calendar year, TIP received a total of 277 reports. 

To report future wildlife poaching or pollution you can call 1-800-TIP-IDNR or submit an online form at:  dnr.IN.gov/lawenfor/7608.htm. 

On February 28, 2019, Scott County Sheriff’s Office received information about drug activity at a residence in Austin, Indiana. Scott County deputies with the assistance of Indiana State Police made contact with Don King, age 31, Austin. King was taken into custody and charged with Dealing in Methamphetamine and Maintaining a Common Nuisance.

On February 28, 2019, with the assistance of the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office, an arrest warrant was issued for Kenneth “Wayne” Davis, age 51, Austin. This arrest stemmed from a search warrant that was executed earlier this week. Davis was charged with Maintaining a Common Nuisance and Possession of Paraphernalia.

Others arrested on warrants are as followed:

Michael Miller was arrested for Invasion of Privacy, Possession Scheduled I,II,III, or IV Controlled Substance, (2) Counts Failure to Appear

Rita Samson was arrested for an Out of County Warrant

Deputies/Agencies Involved:

• Deputy Joe Baker
• Deputy Joe Guarneri
• Detective Paul Clute
• Indiana State Police
• Scott County Prosecutor’s Office

The Indiana State Police in Fort Wayne and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Northern Indiana are teaming up to remind citizens to be aware of the scam circulating in which callers purport to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

According to the BBB, these scams most often start with a phone call and take two basic forms. In the first version, the IRS “agent” says you owe back taxes and pressures you into paying by a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. If you don’t comply, the scammer threatens you with arrest and fines. In the other version, scammers claim they are issuing tax refunds and ask you for personal information so they can send your refund. This information can later be used for identity theft. Scammers also use this approach to target college students by claiming a “federal student tax” has not been paid.

You are pressured to act quickly. Scammers typically try to push you into action before you have time to think. They insist payment be made by wire transfer, prepaid debit card, or other non-traditional payment methods. These methods are largely untraceable and non-reversible.

These calls are very intimidating. Being arrested, thrown in jail, and owing lots of money are sure to shake people up, and as such, people instinctively pull out their wallets to make the threats go away. Please be assured that these calls are not legitimate.   

The IRS will give you the chance to ask questions or appeal what you owe. Also, their first contact with you will always be by mail, not phone or email and will never demand immediate payment, require a specific form of payment, or ask for credit card or debt card numbers over the phone.

If you receive unsolicited phone calls or emails from what may appear to be the IRS or any other organization, and wish to verify their validity, you are encouraged to contact the BBB of Northern Indiana directly at (260) 423-4433.  You can also view the different types and locations of scams using the “Scam Tracker” feature by following this link https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us. The BBB also offers 10 tips on how to avoid scams by following this link https://www.bbb.org/avoidscams/.