BRINKLEY – A 30-year-old Searcy man has been charged with violating several hunting regulations in the flood prone regions of Arkansas. Preston F. Clark was issued five citations after Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife officers received information that he had been deer hunting in areas closed by high water.
On Nov. 29, AGFC Sgt. Brian Austin and Wildlife Officer Thomas Kendrick received information from U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers Jerry Griggs and Jeremy Nguyen that Clark had killed several deer while deer season was closed in both flood zones B and C. An informant told the officers that six sets of antlers were at the residence of Roland Clark, Preston’s identical twin.
Griggs went to the Roland Clark residence, located on Augusta Camp Road in Gregory, where he was given permission to search the residence by Roland Clark in cooperation with the investigation. The antlers were located in a false wall in Roland Clark’s bedroom. The antlers were seized and Roland Clark provided officers with additional information on his brother Preston Clark.
The AGFC and FWS officers then met with Preston Clark in Woodruff County. During an interview, Preston Clark admitted that all six sets of antlers belonged to him and that he had killed four of them during the day, one at night and the sixth one was a road kill that he had found on the road. Roland Clark also said that he shot two other deer at night from Augusta Camp Road, but they went off into the woods where the water was too high to retrieve.
Preston Clark was issued five citations, one for night hunting and four citations for hunting while the season was closed. The total bond amount for the five citations is $10,675. Clark’s rifle that was used in the killing of the deer was seized as evidence as were the six sets of antlers.
