7 Upstate Hunters charged with Wildlife Violations

Seven Upstate hunters were arrested this week and charged with a list of wildlife violations, including killing a mother bear with her cubs. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources reports that a four-year investigation with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office lead to the arrests.  The DNR release lists Charles Claude Blowers, David Winston Brown, Ty Cooper Mills, Thomas Elliot Mann, Jason Russell Sullivan, Wesley Caylor Hedden, and Sherwood L. Patterson charged with various offenses.   The seven men stand charged with the illegal taking of bears, baiting bears, killing an undersized bear, killing a bear sow with cubs, trespassing, Wildlife Management land abuse, hunting license violations, distribution of marijuana, and conspiracy to violate South Carolina game laws. The violations carry penalties that range in fines from $500 to $2,500, and/or jail time that range from 30 days to two years of incarceration. DNR Law Enforcement continues to investigate illegal black bear activities in the Upstate.