Conservation Law Enforcement Corner – September 2024
The Conservation LE Corner is designed to highlight the efforts of Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division (LED) officers who, among their many duties, protect Georgia’s wildlife, sportsmen and natural resources from game-law violators.
Appling County: On Oct. 23, 2023, Game Warden Dylan Bennett was conducting surveillance in the area of Hunter Road in Appling County.
The game warden was hunting night hunters, and along for the detail that night was Sgt. Chris Moore.
“This area has been known for night hunting in the past, and other groups have been caught here before,” officer Bennett said in the DNR incident report. “Around 2000 hours (8 p.m.), I parked my vehicle between two peanut fields. Several cars had gone by and all were driving normal for a dark, back country road. Around 2115 hours, we were standing outside of the truck and could hear a vehicle coming from our right. The light from the headlights started to appear in the distance and once the vehicle reached the edge of the peanut field, it stopped. The headlights shut off, with a light coming out of the driver-side window and shining across the corner of the field. As we watched the vehicle, the lights came back on and it started to move again. The vehicle stopped again halfway in between the fields, and again the lights shut off.
“Once the vehicle started to drive again, we began to follow using night vision. The vehicle stopped again in the curve of the road, with the lights off. A small peanut field was located there. At this time, I turned my headlights on because of oncoming traffic and began to get close to the suspicious vehicle. I initiated my traffic stop, and the vehicle came to a stop.
“Sgt. Moore got out to talk to the driver while I called the stop in,” officer Bennett said. “Once that was done, I approached the vehicle on the driver’s side. When I first looked inside the vehicle, I did not see a weapon. When the driver opened his door, I looked behind the driver’s seat and could see the barrel of a gun. I could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, as well.
“I checked the driver for weapons and asked him to have a seat on his tailgate. Throughout the stop, I had to tell the driver to stay seated. I asked the driver why he stopped in front of the peanut fields. He stated, ‘My truck lights were messing up.’ He admitted that he stopped twice and that he had seen a bunch of deer. The driver stated that he was just trying to get home and takes that road from his father’s house to his house.
“Sgt. Moore searched the truck and found a .17 Marlin rifle, which is a common rifle for shooting deer at night. The rifle had one round in the chamber and another on the floor. We then received information that the driver was a convicted felon.
“I called Appling Dispatch and had his criminal history report printed out. Sgt. Moore placed the driver in handcuffs to detain him while the vehicle was searched even further. Sgt. Moore found what appeared to be a small white wrap that was burned on one end and some pills on the dash. GSP (Georgia State Patrol) arrived on scene and started to conduct field sobriety on the driver for alcohol and drugs. I received information from Appling Dispatch that the driver was in fact a convicted felon. He was arrested for DUI by GSP. Trooper Bonner found meth (methamphetamine) inside the driver’s pocket while searching him. While all of this was going on, the driver’s headlights were left on to see if they were faulty. We could not find any issues with his headlights. We turned the vehicle and the driver over to Bonner (Georgia State Patrol).
“I stopped by dispatch after leaving the jail to get the driver’s criminal history report. The next day, I took the seized rifle and placed it in evidence. I also went to the magistrate and took out a warrant for the convicted felon charge,” Bennett said.
Michael Don Sellers, of Baxley, was charged by the DNR Law Enforcement Division with hunting deer at night, hunting big game from a road, hunting from a motor vehicle, and convicted felon with a firearm.
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