COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Columbus men who documented their outdoor activities on the YouTube channel Creek Kings Outdoors have pleaded guilty to a combined 40 wildlife-related charges stemming from a multi-year poaching investigation, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife announced July 24, 2026.
William I. Bethel, 28, and Justin A. Booth, 23, each entered guilty pleas to 20 counts in May 2026. The investigation, which lasted more than a year and involved collaboration with Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, found evidence of illegal hunting activity from 2019 through 2024. Violations occurred in Three Creeks Metro Park and on other properties where the men lacked permission to hunt, according to ODNR.
The pair’s YouTube videos featured white-tailed deer that investigators determined were poached. In some cases, Bethel and Booth claimed the deer were harvested in Kentucky, but evidence showed they were taken unlawfully in Ohio.
Bethel’s 20 counts included three counts of hunting deer without a permit, three counts of hunting deer in the closed season, failing to game check a deer, hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, three counts of hunting without permission, two counts of possessing deer taken illegally, four counts of possessing untagged deer parts, and three counts of criminal trespass.
Booth’s 20 counts included hunting deer without a permit, five counts of hunting without permission, two counts of failing to game check a deer, aiding a wildlife offender, two counts of possessing untagged deer parts, three counts of possessing a deer taken illegally, taking more than one antlered deer in a license year, obstructing official business, and four counts of criminal trespassing.
The court ordered the men to pay a combined $29,219.32 in restitution. Total financial penalties, including fines, fees, and court costs, reached $37,051.32. Each received a nine-day jail sentence to be served during the 2026-27 hunting season, with an additional 531 days suspended. Both were placed on five years of reporting probation and barred from Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks properties during that time. Their hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges were revoked for five years.
The men were charged in September 2025 at the conclusion of the investigation. ODNR credited assistance from Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, the Ohio State Highway Patrol Computer Crimes Unit, and assistant prosecutors from the Franklin County and City of Columbus prosecutors’ offices assigned to the Franklin County Environmental Court.
ODNR Division of Wildlife officials emphasized the agency’s commitment to enforcing laws that protect Ohio’s wildlife resources. The public can report suspected wildlife violations anonymously through the Turn in a Poacher hotline at 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437). Information leading to a conviction may result in a reward.
Ohio wildlife officers hold statewide authority to enforce wildlife regulations and protect state lands, waterways, and property. The Division of Wildlife’s mission is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all.
