Area man, 3 others formally charged for alleged deer poaching following ODNR investigation

CLINTON COUNTY — An area man, who was under investigation for allegedly poaching an 18-point antlered whitetail deer in Clinton County was formally charged.

News Center 7 previously reported that 28-year-old Christopher Alexander, of Wilmington, was under investigation for allegedly taking a potential record deer during archery hunting season in Clinton County.

The indictment, which was returned by a Clinton County grand jury Friday, accuses Alexander of unlawfully harvesting the deer on Nov. 9, 2023.

“Blinded by greed, the defendants set their sights on fame and fortune while disregarding basic hunting regulations,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Instead of the cover of Field & Stream, their notoriety will be a booking photo.”

Alexander claimed that the animal had been on property owned by his sister, Kristina Alexander when he harvested the deer and presented written permission from his sister to hunt on her land to a wildlife officer.

An Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife investigation revealed that Alexander had illegally hunted the trophy buck on private property about 10 miles from his sister’s land.

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Wildlife officers discovered this through cellphone data searches. They later learned that the written permission from his sister he had presented to wildlife officers had been falsified after the deer was killed to mislead authorities.

Further evidence revealed Alexander had staged the deer taking at his sister’s property with the help of 29-year-old Corey Haunert of Hillsboro and his brother, 31-year-old Zachary Haunert of Lebanon, to conceal the poaching.

The investigation also found that Corey Haunert aided Alexander in poaching deer on multiple occasions by providing the crossbow used to hunt and assisting in deer retrieval and staging with his brother, Zachery Haunert. Alexander’s Sister, 37-year-old Kristina Alexander of Blanchester, is accused of falsifying the date when the written permission to hunt occurred.

Alexander was found to have deceptively profited from the illegal deer taking, selling deer antlers, and receiving payments totaling $20,000 from an antler collector, a hunting magazine, and a company that sells deer products.

According to a press release provided by Yost’s office, the deer is the largest typical whitetail in Ohio, “showcasing remarkable antler uniformity.” Some reports also rank the deer as the third largest typical whitetail in North America.

“This once-in-a-lifetime deer embodies the great natural resources Ohio has to offer,” Yost added. “It is shameful that this deer ended up in an evidence room rather than adorning an ethical hunter’s wall as a prized trophy.”

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Alexander is facing 23 total charges:

• Five counts each of illegally hunting deer without written permission and taking possession of a deer in violation of a division rule, which are third-degree misdemeanors.
• Three counts of theft by deception, fourth and fifth-degree felonies.
• Two counts each of hunting without a license, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, hunting deer without a valid deer permit, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.
• One count each of jacklighting, a third-degree misdemeanor, theft, a first-degree misdemeanor, falsification, a first-degree misdemeanor, and sale of wildlife parts a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

Corey Haunert is facing eight charges:

• Four counts of aiding a wildlife offender, a third-degree misdemeanor.
• Two counts of hunting without written permission, a third-degree misdemeanor.
• One count each of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and falsification, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Alexander’s sister, Kristina Alexander faces one count of falsification, a first-degree misdemeanor, and one count of aiding a wildlife offender, a third-degree misdemeanor.

Zachary Haunert faces two third-degree misdemeanor counts of aiding a wildlife offender.

The cases are being prosecuted by attorneys from Yost’s Environmental Enforcement Section.

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