Man jailed for sabotaging hunter s tree stand causing 15 foot fall

Big Bad

Big Bad

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Location
Still here.
Holy cow.


Man jailed for sabotaging hunter's tree stand, causing 15-foot fall


Story by Pete Thomas • Yesterday 12:01 p.m.
10 Comments

A Michigan hunter is serving two months in jail after pleading guilty to sabotaging another hunter’s tree stand, causing the victim to fall more than 15 feet.


Man jailed for sabotaging hunter's tree stand, causing 15-foot fall
© Provided by For The Win

Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea, pleaded guilty in Marquette County Court to misdemeanors of aggravated assault and hunter harassment.

Steele was ordered to reimburse the victim’s medical expenses for injuries sustained in the fall, and his hunting privileges were revoked indefinitely throughout most of the U.S.

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the harassment began in October 2020 when the hunter arrived at an Upper Peninsula tree stand he had set up and discovered a note on his trail camera.

Man jailed for sabotaging hunter's tree stand, causing 15-foot fall
© Provided by For The Win
Close-up view shows a cut strap from the tree stand in Marquette County. Photo: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The note stated that the spot belonged to Steele.

Steele included his phone number, requesting a call. The hunter called Steele and was warned to stay off the land.

ALSO: Yellowstone wolves faring much better this hunting season

Hunters in Michigan cannot claim rights to public hunting land. Nor can they prevent other hunters for using abandoned tree stands and blinds.

The hunter stayed away for a few weeks, then returned to his tree stand, grabbed the memory card from his trail camera, and began to ascend the tree via climbing sticks.


Man jailed for sabotaging hunter's tree stand, causing 15-foot fall
© Provided by For The Win
Footage from a trail camera shows Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea, cutting the straps on a hunter’s tree stand. Photo: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Nothing seemed amiss, but when he stepped onto the platform it gave way and the hunter plummeted 15-plus feet, injuring his back and ankle.

“Concerned that Steele was watching him on a camera, the hunter quickly limped out of the woods,” the Michigan DNR stated in a news release issued Friday. “Once at home, he called 911 and checked his memory card, which had been wiped clean of images.”

An investigation was launched by DNR Conservation Officer Josh Boudreaux.

Several weeks passed before the hunter again returned to the spot, bringing new straps for his tree stand.

Steel was spying on the hunter with his trail camera, the Michigan DNR explained, and the next day Steele sent threatening text messages.

Boudreaux and Officer John Kamps, meanwhile, kept an eye on the stand. They acquired photographic evidence showing Steele sabotaging the hunter’s tree-stand straps.

“The straps were cut in such a way that they would support the weight of the tree stand but would break as soon as additional weight was applied to them, having a trap door effect,” Boudreaux explained. “The victim would have fallen 15 to 20 feet to the ground.”

Afterward, Boudreaux obtained a search warrant for Steele’s trail camera and arranged a meeting with Steele, whereupon Steele confessed to sabotaging the tree stand and other charges.

Steele was charged in 2021.

Said Dave Shaw, chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division: “Hunter harassment is real and taken very seriously. The DNR hopes that by sharing the details of this case, we can bring awareness to the consequences of this person’s unethical and dangerous behavior and know that it will not be tolerated.”




https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/other/man-jailed-for-sabotaging-hunter-s-tree-stand-causing-15-foot-fall/ar-AA16QjYJ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=ef15fba1255b43bfa26ba4f52c0df103
 
The last part of this sentence is going to sting.

Steele was ordered to reimburse the victim’s medical expenses for injuries sustained in the fall, and his hunting privileges were revoked indefinitely throughout most of the U.S.

I'll bet he will be convicted of contempt of court.

We need judges like this.
 
If "misdemeanors" mean he still has a "felony" record,in the US,that precludes him from ever being in possession of a firearm for any purpose. That will send him to prison if he gets caught. No doubt,he'll be sued into oblivion by the victim,too. He'll be lucky to be living in a tent under a bridge somewhere by the time they're done with him.
 
kamlooky said:
The last part of this sentence is going to sting.

Steele was ordered to reimburse the victim’s medical expenses for injuries sustained in the fall, and his hunting privileges were revoked indefinitely throughout most of the U.S.

I'll bet he will be convicted of contempt of court.

We need judges like this.
Click to expand...

^^^^

Agree
 
Good job Michigan DNR. I wonder if the crazy guy was Fred Trost? Lol. I remember watching his sanity decline as a kid on Michigan cable.
 
Wow. I've run into a few idiots on public land before trying to claim an area as theirs or things along those lines. I've always been respectful but firm that I have a right to be there. It has been in the back of my mind that sabotage or theft stemming from those incidents is always a possibility but so far nothing like that. Other people I know haven't been so lucky and have had to involve the CO's or police. People suck sometimes.
 
I had a guy standing in the middle of a road with a rifle slung across his chest on crown land tell me I couldn't go any farther because he and his buddies were hunting there. Road was 5 more mile til the end. Was also informed he couldn't guarantee my truck wouldn't get damaged if I passed him. Turned around and phoned MNR. Met MNR on the road( in an unmarked truck) and was told I was 3rd person to be threatened so he was going in looking like a hunter to see if he received the same welcome. Hope buddy on the road enjoyed the rest of his hunt.
 
Tree stands can be dangerous. A local guy here was shot while sitting in a tree stand on a deer watch back in 2008. Interestingly that there was an acting Sgt at the Belleville police station that shot himself in a locked office at the station a short time later. After connecting the dots it was found that the hunter was dating the cops ex and there was a little resentment involved.

Moral of the story, if you’re shagging a cops ex, find a place to hunt he doesn’t know about.

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/belleville-officer-found-dead-inside-police-station-1.344025
 
The man who fell was very lucky he was not far more seriously hurt. My friend fell 12 ft. from a tree stand onto an old stump and broke his back in two places. Paralyzed from the waist down. So the judges sentence was fair given the serious consequences possible from Steeles actions.
 
Interesting in this report that Steele was a university student and that he withdrew from the school before he was expelled. Wonder if he was in the natural resource management program?


https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/washtenaw-county-man-sentenced-for-sabotaging-hunters-up-tree-stand/

Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and hunter harassment.

Steele, who was a Northern Michigan University student at the time, is ordered to reimburse the victim for their medical expenses after he fell from the stand. He is also ordered to serve a one-year probation term.

"Hunter harassment is real and taken very seriously," Dave Shaw, chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, said in a press release. "Most hunters respect the land and each other and take pride in an ethical hunt.

Footage from a trail camera shows Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea, intentionally cutting the straps on a hunter's tree stand located on state hunting land in Marquette County. Steele was upset that another hunter was in the area and continued to harass the hunter. Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers obtained the camera as evidence through a search warrant and eventually received a full confession from Steele. Michigan Department of Natural Resources

"The DNR hopes that by sharing the details of this case, we can bring awareness to the consequences of this person's unethical and dangerous behavior and know that it will not be tolerated."

DNR officials say the harassment began in October 2020 in Marquette County when the hunter found a note on the tree stand stating that he was posted in Steele's hunting spot. However, hunters cannot claim exclusive rights on public hunting land, according to the DNR.

Steele left his number for the hunter to call him and deleted photos from his trail camera. The hunter called to apologize, but lost patience and said he would stay away after Steele ordered him to stay off the land.

Officials say the hunter returned to the spot weeks later and surveyed the area before climbing on the platform, which was untouched. He fell 15 to 20 feet to the ground immediately after stepping on the platform, injuring his ankle and back.

The hunter discovered the stand hanging about 8 feet above the ground. He called 911, fearing that Steele was spying on him, and found that his memory card had been wiped clean again.

Officials say the harassment continued as the hunter returned to the spot sometime later. Steele texted the hunter, saying "Are we going to work something out for this spot or what? I got a picture of you yesterday going in there with climbing sticks. Just not gonna respect I was there first?"

An investigation into the incident revealed that Steele cut the hunter's tree stand straps for a second time.

A close-up view shows a cut strap from the tree stand on state hunting land in Marquette County. The tree stand was sabotaged by Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea, who is currently serving a jail term in Marquette County. Michigan Department of Natural Resources

"The straps were cut in such a way that they would support the weight of the tree stand but would break as soon as additional weight was applied to them, having a trap door effect," DNR conservation officer Josh Boudreaux said in a press release. "The victim would have fallen 15 to 20 feet to the ground."

Investigators also obtained Steele's trail camera, which was left on state land. Believing the hunter stole his camera, Steele left threatening voicemails and disparaged him on local social media groups.

DNR officials say Steele called 911 to report the missing camera. But while with conservation officers, he confessed to sabotaging the tree stand.

Steele withdrew from NMU before he was expelled. His hunting privileges were also revoked, spanning nearly all 50 states.
 
Archer Sam said:
I had a guy standing in the middle of a road with a rifle slung across his chest on crown land tell me I couldn't go any farther because he and his buddies were hunting there. Road was 5 more mile til the end. Was also informed he couldn't guarantee my truck wouldn't get damaged if I passed him. Turned around and phoned MNR. Met MNR on the road( in an unmarked truck) and was told I was 3rd person to be threatened so he was going in looking like a hunter to see if he received the same welcome. Hope buddy on the road enjoyed the rest of his hunt.
Click to expand...

There used to be a crew that liked to pull that same crap where we had a camp. They tried to intimidate day hunters and anyone else who would tolerate their bullshyte. Key word there is "used to be". They went to their camp in the off-season and found nothing but a pile of ashes. They got the message.
 
I built a tree stand on crown land years ago. I put some steps up to it. to my amazement, believe it or not, someone took the steps but left the tree stand alone. it's still there today. lol
 
Trimmer 905 said:
There used to be a crew that liked to pull that same crap where we had a camp. They tried to intimidate day hunters and anyone else who would tolerate their bullshyte. Key word there is "used to be". They went to their camp in the off-season and found nothing but a pile of ashes. They got the message.
Click to expand...

Similar happened to a guide/Outfitter in my area, when he decided that since he had the Guiding Lic. on the area he was in, on BC Crown Land, that nobody else was allowed to hunt on 'His' land. Some shenanigans took place alongside this.

So, anyways, it seems that it is very hard to get Clients to stay, when what they find on arrival at their base camp, is a pile of still smoldering rubble...

That was quite a while back. Have not heard of similar conflicts in this area since.
 
Met a lot of questionable characters in the bush. A few interactions stand out, a few “my spot” attitudes. Batteries and one sd card went missing was only theft, luckily. Most dangerous was two guys trying to get me to move out of a spot they liked. I made sure I was out there first every morning, they kept “scoping” me from about 150, and 200 yards out. One on my left, other guy on my right. Had one fella follow our tracks into every spot, had to pull out a canoe, ladder stand, and started carrying half a step ladder to get into a portable stand set up in a tree. What a PITA.
 
Crap doesn't just happen on public land. We have a guy in our area who is a real piece of work. Doesn't own any land but by the Christian goodness of one neighbor of mine he has hunting privileges there. Over the years he has been involved in some questionable behavior involving hunting ethics.

This year took the cake. While I was making the rounds of the neighbors to confirm permission for the deer hunt, one informed me with a grin that " Floyd "had been in a few days previous and informed them I wasn't hunting this year and could he have permission. Now I have to state that over the years everyone has got to know what a liar this guy is and so was refused. As well I have lived in this area all my life, have been hunting the same properties for 50 years and mostly have sole permission on the neighbour's lands.

But karma is a female dog. After that I specifically asked my landowners if "Floyd" had been in, 4 or 5 on adjacent properties to the one he hunts said he had been in but was refused, one of these said he told them he was hunting with my group. I also made sure I told them all that contrary to the story he was spreading, I was planning on hunting for the foreseeable future. All said they did not want him on their property.

I caught up with him after the deer hunt and though I had told him the previous year he could run coyotes on my farms that permission was now retracted for the tales he was telling. He of course denied everything but had nothing to say when I asked if he was calling these people liars. The best part is my farms are in the middle of a great coyote block that he now can't hunt. I do that myself anyway.

I never ask for sole permission to hunt but most of the neighbours prefer knowing I am the only one there.
 
Sabotaging a stand to cause injury is a bit over the top. Claiming public land as your own is an ####### move, but they are both guilty of that. Michigan law considers a stand left out as abandoned and if someone is sitting in "your" stand in "your" spot you are required to move on and not interfere with guy #2.

Trouble with being an ####### is you will eventually meet a bigger one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom