Sound Off! Camden County Bear Hunters help law enforcement with sting operation
Saturday, June 21, 2008
by Gary Devine
Two Camden County Hunters from Atco, New Jersey step up
and
helped law enforcement do a sting operation against five animal rights
activists in the forest of Sussex County, New Jersey back in December 2005. The
Municipal Judge found the Activists Guilty in 2006. The Superior
court upheld the conviction and the third and final appeal went to
the State Appellate Court. Below is the story. What is amazing is two bear
hunters from Camden County had to come forward and assist Law Enforcement to bring
justice to the forest in Sussex County. Others hunters from the
northern part of the state did not want to get involved. Bill and Jon
drove three hours each time to honor the subpeona for court. This is
a major case for the New Jersey Hunter Harassment law. It's now case
law. The bear hunt issue goes all the way to the Governor
for stopping the bear hunt since 2005.
In December of 2005, two members of my family
were harassed,stalked and threaten in the woods of New
Jersey and the story was in all the north Jersey newspapers and on
television news in New York and in New Jersey. The state law
enforcement didn't want their names of the Camden County hunters printed
in the news do to the threats issued against them by the activists.
My brother Bill Devine of Atco, New Jersey and
his son-in-law Jon White were harassed by five animal rights
activists for two days during New Jersey 2005 bear season in the
woods of Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey. Vernon is near
the top of New Jersey, located up by the New York border. The
animal rights activists followed them in the forest and sang christmas
carols, yelled that they saw a woodpeckers and called them murderers. When the
hunters stopped the activists stopped and when the hunters walked off the trail
into the swamp the activists followed. It was two days of hell. They
did report the hunter harassment each day to Law Enforcement.
The third day the State Of New Jersey, Fish and Wildlife
Department and the Vernon Police Department, came up with an excellent idea.
They dressed a police officer up in hunting clothes and he wore a hunting
license, carried a shotgun and walked with the other hunters into the
woods. The Officer witness all the harassment, stalking and threats by the
activists. One activist formally from the country of Iran asked all three
hunters where do you live? My brother Bill asked why? He
said, "I will get my Arab friends to hunt you down". After
that statement was said, the police officer said "thats it"
and showed his badge and said "your all under arrest". Four ran
away and the Officer held on to the Iran activist and police who came in
on back up, caught three others hiding in the woods. One did get
away. One activist, Angela Metler in handcuffs looked at
my brother Bill and said "you set us up".
Many charges were filed by the undercover Police Officer and my brother Bill against the four activists. Hunter harassment, stalking, threats, resisting arrest and other charges. The Municipal Judge in Vernon Township, New Jersey found them all guilty. Angela Metler received forty days in jail do to prior animal rights convictions. Their attorney appealed the sentence to the higher Sussex County court in Newton, New Jersey. The County Judge found them all guilty but did lower some of the fines. The County Judge also lower the forty days in jail down to two days in jail and eight days in the Sheriff's Labor Assistance program. The activists were not happy and appealed the case to the State Appellate court.
(note the Devine's are former residents of Gloucester City NJ)
The higher State
Appellate Court upheld the convictions against the Animal rights activists.
Here is the link to an article about the case in The Star Ledger, dated June 20, 2008. read more