Men Charged with 73 Counts in Illegal Deer Hunting, Face $50K Fines

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Two men who reportedly killed eight deer in a single evening in Baltimore and Howard counties have been charged by state officials with 73 counts of illegal hunting.

John Dimingo Gallano IV, 20, of Pasadena, and Christopher Michael Johnson, 20, of Halethorpe, were charged recently after a year-long investigation. If the suspects are convicted, the charges could result in fines of more than $50,000 for each man and jail time.

The two men shot the deer with a crossbow from a vehicle with the aid of a spotlight between 1 and 5 a.m. Oct. 18, 2015, near Spring Grove Hospital Center in Baltimore County and in Ellicott City in Howard County, DNR police allege. The carcasses of a nine-point buck and three four-point bucks were dumped in Pasadena neighborhoods. Two deer – a six-point buck and a doe – were taken to an Anne Arundel County wild game processor. Two deer were not recovered by the shooters.

None of the deer were logged in or recorded, as required by state law, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police. Neither man had written permission to be hunting on any of the properties where the deer were shot.

Gallano was charged with trespassing, hunting deer with spotlights, nighttime hunting, hunting from a vehicle, shooting from on across a road, hunting within a safety zone, hunting on private land, failing to report a kill, wanton waste of deer, false entry in a public record and illegal dumping. He is due in Anne Arundel County District Court Oct. 11, in Baltimore County District Court Nov. 14, and in Howard County District Court Nov. 17.

Johnson was charged with trespassing, hunting deer with spotlights, nighttime hunting, hunting from a vehicle, shooting from on across a road, hunting within a safety zone, hunting on private land, failing to report a kill, wanton waste of deer, possessing a loaded crossbow in a vehicle, false entry in a public record and illegal dumping. He is due in Baltimore County District Court Nov. 14 and Howard County District Court Nov. 17.

»Photos of accused hunters John Dimingo Gallano IV of Pasadena, and Christopher Michael Johnson of Halethorpe, courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources