SPOKANE— A Spokane County sheriff’s detective is under investigation for poaching and lying to investigators about it.
David Herrin, a 25-year veteran, was placed on administrative leave last week while an internal investigation is conducted by the sheriff’s office, The Spokesman-Review reported.
Court records show Herrin repeatedly told fish and wildlife officers that his 12-year-old daughter shot a deer in Stevens County in 2013. But Herrin later said a friend, who owns the property where he was hunting, had actually shot the deer and offered to let him take the animal for his daughter.
Herrin said in court records that he made a “dumb mistake” by putting his daughter’s tag on the animal.
Herrin is facing possible criminal charges of unlawful hunting of big game and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, the newspaper reported.
A listed telephone number for Herrin could not be found.
Fish and wildlife officers became aware of the alleged violation after getting information from Herrin’s ex-wife, according to court records. She reportedly told them that Herrin had been using deer tags belonging to their children and that she was worried the children would get in trouble.
Herrin’s daughter initially corroborated her father’s story, but she later said she did not go hunting in 2013. She told investigators that her father gave her the details of the hunt so she could pretend that she had shot the buck, according to court records.
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