A Georgia Department of Natural Resources employee has been convicted in federal court and fined for placing deer bait and game cameras within the boundaries of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, according to a news release.
The park is closed to all hunting and trapping.
James Alfred Jones, a technician with the natural resources department and a resident of Rock Spring, was convicted of maintaining a baited area within park boundaries as well as game cameras in the park, the release from chief ranger Todd Roeder stated.
Jones was actively hunting on the edge of the national park on private property with a clear view of the baited area. During the investigation and during execution of a search warrant of Jones’ residence, he made several false statements to federal law enforcement officers, authorities said. He also admitted falsifying his deer harvest record and shooting a deer over bait in 2018 on private property next to the national park.
The Walker County portion of the park has seen an increase in illegal hunting activity in recent years, officials said.