Man Charged With Illegal Deer Hunting In Cherokee County

BALL GROUND, GA -- A Ball Ground man has been charged with illegally hunting deer from a vehicle in Cherokee County. Late Friday and into Saturday, game wardens with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were patrolling for night hunters in the county when they came across what appeared to be a flashlight in a wooded area.

Mark McKinnon, public affairs officer with DNR's Law Enforcement Division, said those wardens made contact with Mitchell Lee Lingerfelt and began questioning his presence in the area. After making those inquiries, it was "determined that he was violating several laws," McKinnon told Patch.

Lingerfelt was booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, hunting at night, hunting from a motor vehicle, hunting without a license, hunting big game (deer) without a big game license, no hunting harvest record and possession of methamphetamine and other controlled substances.

McKinnon notes the charges of hunting without a license, hunting big game without a big game license and no hunting harvest record are "for a deer he illegally killed the previous day."

McKinnon, who said the location of Lingerfelt's alleged hunting spot was not immediately available, told Patch game wardens routinely conduct night patrols, particularly during deer seasons, in counties where they are assigned.

"Sometimes they operate from a tip from the public and other times, they just get out and patrol an area of the county," he added, noting he was unaware of any previous complaints related to this case.

Jail records show Lingerfelt was booked in to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Cherokee Sheriff's Office Sgt. Marianne Kelley said Lingerfelt bonded out of the facility on the same day.

Photo: Mitchell Lee Lingerfelt. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office