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Dixie County Advocate, Cross City, Florida - Thursday, January 25, 1996 



1st Fundraising Hunt Case 

 Tried In Federal Court 



UF Student 

 Acquitted Of 

 Hunting Illegally 

 On A Baited Field 



by Teni Lcingforti 



University of Florida sludcnl, Chad demons, of 

 High Springs went before federal court several weeks ago, 

 January 17, 1996 and was acquitted by U.S. Magistrate 

 Richard Belz, of hunting over a baited dove field. 



Clemons, along with five other UF agriculture 

 students were invited guests for a fundraising hunt hosted 

 by stale Senator Charles Williams on behalf of the Florida 

 Sheriff Youth Ranches, Inc. which was held on October 

 13, 1995. During the hunt federal agents issued numerous 

 citations to persons participating in the hunt, alleging that 

 the area had been baited. 



The six students involved in the hunt are members of 

 the Alpha Gamma Rho, the national fraternity for 

 agriculture students. According to William Boe, Fraternity 

 Advisor, the students were approach by a Dixie County 

 resident and fellow UF student, Rob Hatch, about hunting 

 on his family's land which adjoins the land Ijeing used for 

 the hunt, owned by Herman Sanchez. Because of the large 

 number of participants, approximately 91, the students 

 took Hatch up on his offer. Boe noted that all these 

 students possessed a legal license, legal weapons, and the 

 only drinking being done was that of soda. 



During demons' trial, in which he defended himself, 

 the fact that the Hatch land was fenced and was several 

 hundred feet from the alleged "baited" field was brought to 

 the magistrates' attention. Clemons stated that he never 

 crossed over into the Sanchez field because he had no 

 reason to and therefore never inspected the ground for 

 possible baiting. 



Boe staled, "I am exlremcly pleased thai the 

 magistrate could distinguish between justice and just the 

 .iiaar mechanics of the law." Boe continued by saying that 

 there had seemed to be no effort on Ihc part of any of the 

 ten U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers to distinguish 

 between the two parlies from the different fields. 



According to Boe, several of the parents of the 

 students have already paid their sons' fine on the grounds 

 that they (the parents) did not wish for their son to have a 

 federal offense against them and not because they felt that 

 they (their sons) had done anything wrong. These parents 

 added that they felt the citations were issued unfairly. 

 Many others who were issued citations with fines ranging 

 from $250.00 and increased $25.00 for each dove in their 

 possession, also have paid. 



"This raid had absolutely nothing lo do with the 

 protection of migratory birds," stated Boe. The fact that 

 the officers wailed for such a long time before stopping 

 the hunt and issuing the citations brought questions as to 



why the officers were there if not to protect the birds. 



Because of the many questions being raised in this 

 case, U.S. Reprcsenlative. Cliff Stearns, 6th Dislrici, 

 Florida, has written a letter to Don Young, Chairman of 

 the House Resources Committee. The letter asked Young 

 to have the House Resources Committee review 

 documents concerning the hunt, investigate and determine 

 if congressional hearings are appropriate. If you should 

 have any comment on this case you may call 

 Congressman Stearns office at 202/225-5744. 



Dixie Sheriff, Larry Edmonds and Alachua County 

 Sheriff, Steve Oelrich are both scheduled to be tried on the 

 same charge in February. 



