Minn. Officer Who Shot Deer Cleared of Wrongdoing

April 6, 2012
The Forest Lake police officer who shot and killed two young deer in January, outraging a man who had put collars on them, did not violate any laws, the Washington County sheriff's office determined.

April 06--The Forest Lake police officer who shot and killed two young deer in January, outraging a man who had put collars on them, did not violate any laws, the Washington County sheriff's office determined.

County officials completed their review last month and called the complaint filed against the officer "not sustained," according to a statement from Forest Lake Police Chief Rick Peterson.

Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton declined to comment and said all inquiries into the matter must go through Forest Lake police.

The police, citing state data practices requirements, have not confirmed the name of the officer involved and have been tight-lipped regarding the incident.

"I know you may want more information regarding this investigation, but because of Data Privacy Laws, I cannot discuss any of the details pertaining to this incident or the contents of it," Peterson wrote in a statement emailed to the Pioneer Press.

The incident occurred Jan. 14 near the home of Jeff Carpenter. Carpenter alerted media after the incident, decrying the shooting of the two deer that had been living in his yard for months. He and his wife had essentially adopted the orphaned fawns, and both of the animals were wearing neon collars, he said.

The officer, who nearly hit the deer with his squad car before shooting them, was acting on orders from the Department of Natural Resources, the police department said. The DNR confirmed the request, citing a law allowing them to

kill domesticated deer that escape captivity because they pose a potential health threat to wild herds.

Carpenter was upset because the deer were killed and because they were shot near his house.

Carpenter said the incident happened nearly an hour before sunrise. "We the homeowners were not notified of his presences (sic) or his intent which made for a dangerous situation," Carpenter wrote in a letter to Peterson.

Carpenter said he went outside after hearing a second gunshot and found the officer standing about 54 feet from the house, wearing dark clothes. Carpenter said it was not immediately apparent the man was an officer, and he didn't identify himself as one.

The shooting infuriated Carpenter, who, with his wife, had named the young deer Abbie and Pinkie. The fawns showed up at the Carpenter home in June just a few days old, and the couple assumed the mother had been killed.

The animals were not kept in captivity, but the couple did feed them. The fawns visited the yard daily.

In a statement Thursday, Carpenter expressed frustration with the sheriff's review of the case and the fact that the report and findings are not public. He said he wasn't surprised with the outcome.

He said he and his wife are considering "other civil options."

Elizabeth Mohr can be reached at 651-228-5162. Follow her at twitter.com/LizMohr.

Copyright 2012 - Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

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