2 men accused of night hunting, killing pet dog

BATON ROUGE, La. – Two East Baton Rouge Parish men are accused of killing a deer and a dog during an illegal night hunt.

Ryan Stogner, 20, of Denham Springs, and Nicholas Tarver, 21, of Zachary, each could face up to $30,000 in fines and restitution and nearly two years in jail if convicted on all counts against them. Restitution would be $1,624.61 for the deer and $800 to $1,000 for the dog, according to enforcement division spokesman Adam Einck.

Each is accused of aggravated cruelty to animals -- which carries a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 -- and 13 counts of hunting violations. Stogner also was cited for shooting a firearm from a public road in East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana parishes.

They were arrested after wildlife agents got a tip about night hunting in the northern part of East Baton Rouge Parish early Oct. 27, Einck said Monday.

He said agents tracked down and confiscated a white-tail doe that had been illegally shot, and learned that the men allegedly had shot a pet malamute husky earlier in the night in East Feliciana Parish.

The agents confiscated the deer, the dog, a spotlight and a Remington .308 rifle with scope.

The dog belonged to an East Feliciana Parish couple.

They were cited on two counts each -- one in each parish -- of hunting or taking deer during illegal hours, hunting or taking deer from a public road, hunting from a moving vehicle, hunting without basic and big game licenses and violating deer tagging regulations. Stogner was also cited for discharging a firearm from a public road in each parish. Both men were also cited with aggravated cruelty to animals in the husky's death