The Texas Game Wardens have filed 1,400 charges across 11 Texas counties in its “Ghost Deer” investigation, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The department said the investigation has reached a possible conclusion after two additional suspects turned themselves in on felony charges, bringing the number of those charged to 24.
Ken Schlaudt, 64, of San Antonio — who owns four deer breeding facilities and one release site — and facility manager Bill Bowers, 55, of San Angelo, turned themselves in to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office on charges of felony tampering with a governmental record, according to TPWD.
“Both men allegedly entered false information into the Texas Wildlife Information Management System (TWIMS) to facilitate illegal smuggling of white-tailed breeder deer,” a news release stated.
Schlaudt and Bowers also face more than 100 misdemeanor charges in connection with unlawful deer breeding activities in Tom Green County, according to TWPD.
Other suspects charged in ‘Ghost Deer’ investigation
The Texas Game Wardens’ “Ghost Deer” investigation began in March 2024 when game wardens discovered the first violations during a traffic stop and later found a much larger list of violations. It resulted in one of the largest deer smuggling operations in Texas history, according to TWPD.
The investigation has uncovered coordinated deer breeding violations, including but not limited to the following:
- Smuggling captive breeder deer and free-range whitetail deer between breeder facilities and ranches
- Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) testing violations
- License violations
- Misdemeanor and felony drug charges relating to the possession and mishandling of prescribed sedation drugs classified as controlled substances
TWPD said these suspects have been charged in the case:
- Evan Bircher, 59, San Antonio
- Vernon Carr, 55, Corpus Christi
- Jarrod Croaker, 47, Corpus Christi
- Terry Edwards, 54, Angleton
- Joshua Jurecek, 41, Alice
- Justin Leinneweber, 36, Orange Grove
- James Mann, 53, Odem
- Gage McKinzie, 28, Normanna
- Herbert “Tim” McKinzie, 47, Normanna
- Eric Olivares, 47, Corpus Christi
- Bruce Pipkin, 57, Beaumont
- Dustin Reynolds, 38, Robstown
- Kevin Soto, 55, Hockley
- Jared Utter, 52, Pipe Creek
- Reed Vollmering, 32, Orange Grove
- Clint West, 56, Beaumont
- James Whaley, 49, Sevierville, Tenn.
- Ryder Whitstine, 19, Rockport
- Ryker Whitstine, 21, Rockport
- Claude Wilhelm, 52, Orange
Some cases are still pending adjudication in the following counties: Bandera, Bee, Brazoria, Duval, Edwards, Jim Wells, Live Oak, Montgomery, Tom Green, Travis and Webb.