I was just in court last week for a case where my father and I caught two guys trespassing on land we manage for an elderly lady and in return she lets us hunt it. They had just killed a buck on it and were driving right through a soybean field. We were not happy! They actually drove over a posted sign to get on to the property...
We obtained their information and call the game warden. He came out, took our statements and then made contact with the guys. He charged them both with trespassing to hunt. In Virginia, that is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which is the most serious misdemeanor there is. It carries up to a 12 month jail sentence and $2500 fine.
Well, the prosecutor said they had no criminal record so she allowed to to do a plea bargain. They got a 6 month deferred disposition. This basically means, if they do nothing illegal for the next 6 months, the charges are dropped like it never happened... Pretty pathetic! Virginia has tougher trespass laws than most states. Where our hunting and fishing land in Pennsylvania is, the laws up there are a joke and getting the PA State Police, Game Commission or Fish Commission to do anything is next to impossible!
They wonder why land owners go crazy and start shooting at trespassers? It's called frustration that the laws are pathetic or not enforced!
