The golf course is south of Springfield, on the line between Springfield and Green townships.
The golfer said that he spoke to the man with the shotgun, who said he was shooting geese, and then shot and killed a second goose, the affidavit said. The next day, the officer spoke to the manager of the course, who identified the man with the shotgun as an employee of the course who was allowed to harvest geese on the property, and said he should have all of the appropriate licenses and permits.
The golf course employee soon after reached out the officer, and admitted to shooting the geese, saying that he believed that the golf course had a nuisance permit and could shoot the geese, the affidavit said.
The ODNR officer said that the golf course did not have such a permit, and if they had the permit would have expired in August before the hunting season began.
The employee also said that he did not have the necessary Ohio Wetland Stamp, HIP Certification or Federal Migratory Bird Stamp, so the officer said he issued him one citation for hunting without the stamp, adding that the man had no prior violations and was cooperative.
According to court documents, the charge is a fourth-degree misdemeanor and could carry up to 30 days in jail and/or up to a $250 fine.
Court documents said that the man is 64 years old and white.
We have reached out to the ODNR to ask if they had received any other credible reports of geese or ducks being taken from Clark County parks, and will update with any new information.
Unsupported rumors have circulated saying that Springfield’s large Haitian migrant population were killing and taking geese and ducks from area parks alongside rumors that they were taking and eating people’s pets, rumors that were amplified by prominent Republican politicians such as former President Donald Trump and current Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Springfield officials and law enforcement have insisted that they have had no credible reports of Haitian residents taking geese from parks or neighbors’ pets. Despite this, increased negative attention such as Trump stating the rumors as true during the presidential debate brought a rash of threats to Springfield government offices, schools and businesses, as well as new visits to the city by Neo-Nazi groups, the KKK and other hate groups.
The situation in the aftermath of the negative attention was also brought up in the vice presidential debate this week, where Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz criticized Vance for spreading the rumors, pointing out that after the threats Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered the state highway patrol to provide security for the city’s schools.
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