A member of the Etowah City Commission was jailed by state wildlife officers after an investigation into illegal hunting on private property, according to records in McMinn County General Sessions Court.
John William James, 43, of Etowah — listed as an Etowah city commissioner on the town's website — is charged with hunting without permitting, violation of proclamations or rules and regulations, and violation of the requirement to wear daylight fluorescent orange while hunting as required by state hunting laws, according to an affidavit filed by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Officer Ben Davis.
James was jailed on the charges earlier this month. He was freed on a $1,500 bond, according to court records.
The investigation began in November with a complaint filed by a resident leasing property on County Road 616 regarding James' sitting across the road in his Ford F-150 wearing full camouflage, according to the affidavit. When Davis got there, however, the truck was empty, but he found it was registered to James.
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Two phone numbers — a landline number and a wireless number — listed for James had been disconnected, and the affidavit did not include contact information.
Near the end of November, wildlife officers received permission from landowners to access the property involved and adjacent properties where the owners had prohibited hunting, according to the affidavit. When officers got a call Dec. 27 alleging James was again parked at the property, they found the same truck, empty again, but they also located other signs of hunting.
"I located numerous tree stands," Davis said in the affidavit.
Davis found one tree stand that was overlooking an area baited with whole, shelled corn and a grain/corn mixture, according to the affidavit. A trail camera — a battery-powered camera with a motion sensor trigger — was found mounted to a tree, aimed at the baited area. The seized camera had more than 860 photos on it, including photos from inside James' business and a man in camouflage with an empty bag of "Buck Bourbon, Barrel Proof, Highly Attractive Supplemental Feed" into a backpack. The other photos on the camera depicted various species of wildlife in the baited area. The photos were dated between Dec. 13 and 27.
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Wildlife officers returned New Year's Day and found a second camera with almost 400 photos on it taken between Oct. 30 and Dec. 31, according to the affidavit. The photos include images of James, dressed in camouflage, carrying a climbing-type tree stand and a firearm walking in front of the camera. He was not wearing the required 500 square inches of hunter-orange.
James was freed on a $1,500 bond, according to court records.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.
Staff Photo / A Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency patch on the shoulder of Officer Jarod Coxey is photographed in 2010. State wildlife officers jailed an Etowah city commissioner after charging him with hunting without permitting, violation of proclamations or rules and regulations and violation of the requirement to wear daylight fluorescent orange while hunting as required by state hunting laws.