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Deputy changes plea to guilty, illegally shot deer

WATFORD CITY – The complaint filed by a North Dakota Game and Fish Department warden made the claim that Maxwell Ingram used a firearm to kill a deer during the archery season. At a change of plea hearing in Northwest District Court Tuesday, Ingram entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge.

Ingram had entered a written plea of not guilty in March to “unauthorized methods of taking game birds and game animals,” a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine. Tuesday Ingram entered a guilty plea to “orders and proclamations of Governor-Game, Fish & Furbearer,” which carries a maximum fine of $250.

Ingram is a deputy with the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Department. According to an affidavit filed with the court, Ingram contacted NDG&F on Oct. 22, 2016, about the killing of a mule deer doe in Unit 4B, a unit closed to the harvest of female mule deer.

Investigation showed that Ingram, who was in possession of an archery license, used a handgun to dispatch the deer. Ingram reportedly told the investigating game warden that he had hit the deer with two arrows before firing at the deer with his pistol. The warden recovered a handgun bullet from the animal.

The court ordered Ingram to pay fines and fees of $250. The court also stipulated that Ingram is on unsupervised probation through April 24, 2018, and have no violation of any Game and Fish law for a period of six months.

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