Ohio deer facility owner charged with violating quarantine

MILLERSBURG, Ohio (AP) — The owner of a private Ohio hunting facility has been charged with evidence tampering for allegedly violating quarantine requirements after officials found a rare disease in the facility’s herd.

Ohio officials placed deer at World Class Whitetails in Millersburg under quarantine last year after learning they could be potentially infected with chronic wasting disease. After one deer there tested positive for the disease last fall, state agriculture officials in December ordered all deer at the facility be killed because owner Daniel Yoder didn’t follow quarantine rules.

Holmes County Prosecutor Steve Knowling says he can’t comment on the specific quarantine violations.

A message was left for him Thursday at the hunting facility.

Officials say the disease hasn’t been detected in Ohio’s wild deer herd.