Monrovia Neighborhood Deer Slayer Pleads No Contest

MONROVIA, CA – A Duarte man pleaded no contest Tuesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a deer in Monrovia, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced. Michael Jackson Rodriguez, 34, entered his plea at a morning court hearing to one misdemeanor count of possessing fish or wildlife taken unlawfully, according to Deputy District Attorney Richard Magleby of the Environmental Crimes Division.

Under the terms of the negotiated plea agreement, Judge Terry Smerling immediately sentenced Rodriguez to three years of summary probation and 30 days of community service, Magleby said. Rodriguez also is required to surrender all hunting licenses; is prohibited from hunting while on probation; has to pay a $1,000 fine to the state Fish and Game Preservation Fund; and must forfeit his seized property, which includes a bow, arrows and remains of the deer, to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to the prosecutor.

Rodriguez was accused of killing a deer with a bow and arrow in a Monrovia neighborhood on Sept. 14 of last year, according to the press release. It is illegal to shoot a deer or discharge a deadly weapon within 150 yards of a home.

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City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock