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(Photo courtesy DWR)
WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A call to Utah's Turn-in-a-Poacher hotline has resulted in a major poaching arrest in southwestern Utah earlier this month.
Hurricane resident Mathew Steven Spendlove is accused of poaching seven buck deer in Washington County.
Division of Wildlife Resources officers began investigating in November 2008 when a confidential informant called the hotline to report a deer that had been killed outside of hunting season. Their work on the case led them to Spendlove and eventually a warrant to search his home.
Inside the home, officers found seven sets of deer antlers and photos on a cell phone, a camera and a computer that provided enough evidence for prosecutors to charge Spendlove with the crimes.
A trial date has been set for Sept. 10. If Spendlove is found guilty, he could spend the next five years in jail, pay $13,000 in fines and pay $2,800 in restitution.
