It takes a certain level of audacity to poach a deer on a school lawn in the middle of the night, but it takes even more to come back two hours later to pick up the carcass. Late in the evening of November 26th, 2024, security cameras at Orofino Elementary School in Idaho captured footage of a blue Ford pickup truck pulling into the buzz loading zone where an individual shot a white-tailed buck standing on the school lawn.
The vehicle left, only to return approximately two hours later. Footage then showed a male subject loading the deer into the truck before driving off again. Idaho Fish and Game Officers then spent hundreds of hours reviewing video footage in a painstaking process, hoping they’d be able to identify a suspect.
Fortunately they were able to identify Lars Nelson of Peck, Idaho, as the suspect, and a search warrant executed at residence in Washington led to the seizure of the suspected vehicle, clothing worn during the crime, and deer parts. Forensic testing confirmed that the blood found at the residence matched the blood recovered at the school, as well.
Nelson initially faced five misdemeanor charges, but pled guilty in Clearwater County District Court to a flagrant misdemeanor charge of taking a deer during a closed season. The rest of his charges were dismissed. On February 18th, 2026, Nelson was sentence to a $1,000 fine, $165 in court fees, a $400 civil penalty, and a $75 processing fee.
He also will be required to serve two 48-hour weekends in the Clearwater County Jail, with 174 days suspended, complete two years of unsupervised probation, and faces a five-year revocation of hunting privileges.
Officer Luke Guasco thanked the community for its cooperation, noting the case required extensive review of surveillance footage and would not have been possible without the assistance of local residents and businesses. – Idaho Fish and Game
In Idaho, wildlife violations can be reported through the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999.
