Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
RAINSVILLE, Alabama — A strange crime took place in Alabama and according to NBC affiliate news station in Rainsville, it all started when a hunter named Wade Bowen shot a buck on December 27.
"I was excited, fired up," Bowen told 14 News. "Like you won a football game."
Bowen then dropped the deer of at a processing plant. Not long afterward, he got a call from a worker at the plant explaining that his deer had vanished. Nothing but the tag remained.
“I think somebody's got your deer," the worker told Bowen.
When Kellie Smith, the owner of the processing plant, reviewed surveillance camera footage from the night of the incident, he was shocked by what he saw. A man clad in camouflage entered the facility, went to the storage area that held the buck and then dragged it outside to his truck. After tossing the animal into the back of his vehicle, the man sped away.
Local police posted the surveillance footage on their Facebook page and asked for public help in identifying the thief. Cracking the case didn’t take long. A man named David Wells, from the neighboring town of Fyffe, had already posed for photos with the allegedly stolen buck and posted them on his Facebook page.
Following up on a flurry of tips, the police went to Wells’ home and arrested him without incident.
“Suspect (David Joseph Wells, of Fyffe) and deer (well, the remaining head, anyway) found and suspect has confessed, been arrested (burglary, third degree) and is in custody,” according to the police Facebook page.
Bowen was happy to at least get the buck’s head back and said he plans to have it mounted soon, according to 14 News.
Grant Olsen joined the KSL.com contributor team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, travel, product reviews and other interesting things. You can contact him at grantorrin@gmail.com.
