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LAKE COUNTY — On Thursday six people were convicted and sentenced for poaching deer in the Scotts Valley area west of Lakeport.

According to the Lake County District Attorney”s Office, the convictions were a result of an investigation by Lake County Game Warden John Holley and Mendocino County Game Warden Matt Manes.

Wardens recently received reports from concerned citizens who live on Hendricks Road in Scotts Valley that people were killing deer at night while shining spotlights on them. Reports indicated that several deer were killed illegally at night in the area.

Wardens also received descriptions of vehicles being used by the poachers, including a white or tan colored van.

Witnesses reported groups of people engaged in organized poaching activities. The witnesses described seeing a person driving a vehicle, a person shining a spotlight and another person shooting. Several people were witnessed quickly running from the vehicle, grabbing the poached animal, dragging it back to the vehicle and speeding off.

Residents were also concerned for their safety, because the poaching and shooting was reportedly close to houses.

In addition, at least one resident found butchered carcasses of deer around pear orchards in the area with garbage used in butchering the deer left behind on the ground.

The deer that reportedly were killed included bucks, does and fawns. Wardens also received reports that last year poachers in the area were herding deer into fences and when fawns got stuck in fences the poachers were clubbing the deer to death.

As a result of the reports, Holley and Manes set up surveillance in the Hendricks Road area on Sept. 5. At approximately 9:30 p.m., the wardens observed a tan and white passenger van driving slowly on Hendricks Road with a spotlight used out of the passenger side of the van and shined onto private property on the south side of Hendricks Road.

The wardens detained the vehicle and the seven occupants. In addition to the driver and the front seat passenger, there were five people in the rear seats.

On the front seat of the vehicle the wardens found a small amount of methamphetamine, a meth pipe, a box of .22-caliber ammunition and a spotlight that was still warm.

Underneath the rear seat wardens found a loaded Marlin .22-caliber rifle. All seven occupants were arrested.

It was discovered that none of them spoke English and were staying at an immigrant labor camp located in Scotts Valley with a large number of other agricultural workers.

Lake County Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who is also the Department of Fish and Game poaching prosecutor, filed charges against all seven of the alleged poachers.

One of the men was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, providing false identification to a peace officer and four misdemeanor poaching violations including spotlighting and hunting deer with an illegal weapon. The man is scheduled to appear in court with his attorney today.

The remaining six defendants were charged with misdemeanor poaching violations, spotlighting violations and use of an illegal weapon for deer hunting.

Those six defendants are: Vincente Munoz, 19, Daniel Charco Molina, 30, Jose Luis Suarez, 25, Lorenzo Diaz Juarez, 26, Hector Ocampo, 29, and Eloy Perez Echeverria, 33. All of them said they were residents of Stockton or Lodi.

At their arraignment on Thursday, all six were represented by defense counsel and assisted by a Spanish interpreter.

In an effort to get an early disposition and possibly prevent significant costs to the court later for the interpreters, Hinchcliff offered a plea that was agreed to by all six defendants, their attorney and the Judge.

All six of the misdemeanor defendants pleaded no contest to a violation of Fish and Game Code section 2005(b), use of an artificial light to assist in the taking or attempted taking of a game animal.

They were sentenced by Superior Court Judge Andrew S. Blum. They were each placed on three years probation and their hunting privileges were revoked for three years. The firearm, spotlight and ammunition was ordered forfeited by the court and they were each ordered to serve 45 days in jail.

All six people have Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds and could face deportation proceedings at the end of their jail term if pursued by ICE.

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