BIG PINE KEY, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida Keys man has been charged with killing an endangered Key deer that had been coming onto his property and eating his plants.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that 33-year-old Grant Wilson was arrested Saturday after he admitted to killing the female deer. Wildlife officers reported confiscating two high-powered pellet guns and recovering the deer carcass from some mangroves just outside Wilson's Big Pine Key property.
The Key deer is a federally protected species only found in the Florida Keys. It's the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer, with males reaching just 30 inches in height.
Wilson faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.
