3 Men Accused of Being in Poaching Ring

Report of Gunfire Leads to Scores of Animal Parts

A report of illegal gunfire in Lucketts last year led authorities to a trove of deer meat, antlers and hawk claws belonging to three men suspected of being members of a poaching ring, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office announced last week.

The investigation began Nov. 29, when a Lucketts man called authorities about 9:50 p.m. to report three men shooting from a vehicle on Rosefinch Circle. The resident confronted the men, and they fled, authorities said.

About 11 p.m. that night, a Loudoun sheriff's deputy pulled over a truck matching the description the resident gave. The driver, Joseph A. Hobbie, 35, of Martinsburg, W.Va, was alone, and the deputy noticed blood and animal hair in the bed of the truck, said Loudoun sheriff's spokesman Kraig Troxell.

Hobbie was arrested and faced multiple charges, including DUI, unlawful possession of wildlife and obtaining a hunting license under false pretenses. He was found guilty on all counts March 9 and sentenced to 10 days in jail and $1,100 in fines. His hunting license was suspended for three years and his driver's license for six months.

The investigation led authorities to the two men they believe were with Hobbie that night in November: Jason Andrew Austin, 28, and Josh Dean Pratt, 23, both of Leesburg. In December, authorities searched their residences and found 78 sets of deer antlers, 72 turkey beards, three firearms, the claws of two hawks, four partially white deer hides, and packaged venison and other parts from at least seven deer.

Austin and Pratt were arrested this month, and both face a slew of illegal hunting charges. Austin also faces federal game violations for possession of the claws of federally protected birds, authorities said. Both men are due in court April 29.

Pratt's attorney, Eric J. Demetriades, declined to discuss the specifics of the case but said his client "still maintains his innocence."

Calls to Austin's home and Hobbie's attorney for comment were not returned.

Troxell said that although illegal hunting incidents are not uncommon in the largely rural western part of the county, the number of animals involved in this case was unusual.

"It's possible this operation was more extensive beyond what we discovered at this one time," Troxell said. "It's unclear as to what their intent was with the number of items."

Bruce Lemmert, a conservation police officer with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries who helped investigate the case, said it is particularly egregious because Loudoun has very liberal deer-hunting laws, making it unnecessary to skirt restrictions.

He said Loudoun often records the highest number of legally killed deer in the state in a given year: about 6,500, compared with rural counties that typically register 2,000 to 3,000.

Loudoun hunters can kill deer on private property with the consent of the landowner anytime during deer hunting season, which lasts from September through March, Lemmert said. He said the suspects in this case were shooting from a vehicle, on a roadway and near residences, all of which is illegal.

"We feel it was a disregard for any hunting laws at all, or hunting ethics, and the charges reflect that," Lemmert said.

Lemmert said venison is sometimes sold illegally, although there is no proof that was being done in this case. The venison seized from the men was donated to Hunters for the Hungry, a nonprofit group that provides game meat to the needy.