Antis arrested for interfering with trap
March 1, 1996
Outdoor News
The Sportsman's Weekly
By Nate Olson
Three people were arrested Feb 19 by Minnetonka police officers on misdemeanor charges for allegedly interfering with the city's deer management program.
Arrested were Barbara Rudh, 47, and Cecelia Constantine, 59, both of Minnetonka. Also arrested was Steven Hindi, 41, of Plano, Ill. All three individuals were arrested for interfering with a deer trap. If convicted, they could face up to 90 days in jail, and a $700 fine.
The city approved a three-year trap-and-shoot program two years ago, after residents complained of property damage and an increase in car deer collisions caused by the city's growing deer herd.
The arrests were the result of a long-running dispute between city officials and members of Minnetonkans Against Animal Cruelty (MAAC) over a deer management program involving the trapping and shooting of excess deer in the city.
According to police reports, at around 3 a.m. Monday morning, officers were conducting a surveillance in a residential area in response to recent vandalism of the deer traps, which is a felony.
During the surveillance, officers observed flashlight beams and two people approaching the trap site on foot. Both persons were wearing white clothing and dark boots. The officers requested back-up and watched as the two stood near the trap. A description was given to the dispatcher as the individuals left the scene.
Back-up officers responding to the neighborhood observed a white van with Illinois license plates leaving the area. Officers noted three occupants in the van, two of which were dressed in white clothing and pulled the vehicle over.
Then Rudh, Hindi and Constantine were identified and the officers also noted that the footprints left in the snow near the trap matched those of the boots being worn by the two suspects dressed in white. All three individuals were taken into custody.
Of the objects confiscated from the van, officers found a radar detector, a wide assortment of electronic monitoring and surveillance equipment, some with nigh-vision capability. Also confiscated were two-way radios and several articles of clothing.
Steve Sandwick, director of Administrative Services in the Minnetonka Police Department, said, "We had been experiencing damage to the traps, so we had them staked out." He added, "It's a public safety issue. These people are in an area with guns. We just can't have people out there."
According to police officials, this isn't the first time Hindi has been arrested under similar circumstances.
Hindi has been arrested in Pennsylvania and Illinois for assault and battery, trespassing, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, according to police records.
Capt. Howard Brewer, DNR regional commander for northern Illinois, confirmed some of those reports.
"We've arrested [Hindi] on several occasions, primarily at protests at controlled pheasant hunting areas. We arrested him mainly for unlawful encroachment activities," Brewer said.
Some of those cases have revolved around Hindi's involvement with the Chicago Animal Rights Coalition (CHARC). Hindi is the group's president.
And it is his connection with that group, and the publicity he has garnered, which got Hindi noticed by MAAC.
Pam Finamore, one of the attorneys representing the defendants, said Hind was contacted and then hired by MAAC to videotape the trapping program. The attorney said the group contacted Hindi after hearing about his work concerning animal rights issues. Hindi said he'd do the videotaping, but only after MAAC members agreed they wouldn't do anything illegal to obtain the video, Finamore said.
"If there was any unlawful activity, he said he wouldn't come down here. His group (CHARC) has to be out…not in jail. Their whole purpose is to document what is not known by the public," Finamore added.
At a press conference the day after the arrests, Hindi said his group specialized in undercover videotaping of deer trapping programs, such as the one in Minnetonka. The group gets footage of animals in traps and then distributes the tapes to television stations. The goal being to turn public sentiment against the control program.
This isn't the first time the group has used this tactic.
Three years ago in Illinois, Hindi shot video of officials in DuPage and Cook counties using rocket nets to trap and shoot excess deer. Officers were dispatching the animals with a bolt gun, similar to those used in slaughter houses. Officials eliminated the use of rocket nets shortly after the videotape was aired on television.
Apparently similar video by Hindi has also contributed to the discontinuation of some pigeon and turkey shoots in Pennsylvania.
The trapping program in Minnetonka has been under fire from MAAC for about two years.
Most recently, the dispute involved discrepancies in numbers between infrared deer surveys carried out by MAAC and aerial surveys done by the Minnesota DNR.
MAAC members contend that Minnetonka's deer herd is much smaller than the department's count. DNR officials say MAAC's survey is unreliable because infrared technology is still in its developmental states.
In July of 1995, MAAC was dealt a blow when a judge dismissed their lawsuit against the DNR over the management program. The judge said MAAC failed to provide enough evidence to support their case that the program was negatively impacting the deer.
All three defendants in the case are set to make their initial appearance before a judge on March 5. All three will plead not guilty to the charges, according to their lead attorney, Mark Wernick.
