A 64-year-old white American man pleaded guilty Sept. 18 to shooting geese with a shotgun on Sept. 10 at the Rocky Lakes golf course in Green Twp. south of Springfield, Clark County Municipal Court records show. This news organization generally does not name people involved in misdemeanor crimes. The case was first reported online by Steven Monacelli.
According to a court affidavit, an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Officer said that on Sept. 10, a golfer saw a goose floating in the pond, near a man with a shotgun. The golfer said the man with the shotgun said he was shooting geese, and then he shot and killed a second goose, the affidavit said.
The next day, the ODNR officer spoke to the manager of the golf 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, according to court records.
The golf course employee 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.
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
The ODNR officer said that the golf course did not have such a permit, and the employee did not have the necessary Ohio Wetland Stamp, HIP Certification or Federal Migratory Bird Stamp.
The officer said he issued the man 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, to which the man pleaded guilty.
Last month, unsupported rumors circulated saying that members of Springfield’s large Haitian migrant population were killing geese and ducks from area parks, alongside rumors that they were taking and eating people’s pets. Those rumors were amplified by former President Donald Trump and current Ohio Sen. JD Vance, among others.
Springfield police plus city and county officials have said there are no credible reports of people’s pets being eaten. ODNR said there were two reports this year from people who believed they saw Haitian people taking geese or ducks from Snyder Park. ODNR said that, “Upon follow-up, no supporting evidence was found.”
Regardless, the accusations quickly spread internationally, putting worldwide attention on Springfield, and bringing with it a rash of bomb threats against Springfield government offices, schools and businesses, as well as visits to the city by neo-Nazi groups and others categorized as 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.
