Former Major League Baseball player Danny Cox and three other men entered plea deals three years ago on his property in rural Freeburg.
That ends cases against eight men, including Freeburg Mayor Seth Speiser, in St. Louis Circuit Court. Clair County. Illinois Conservation Police issued them a total of 29 citations and 22 written warnings after a month-long investigation.
This week, Cox pleaded guilty to two of the six alleged violations, according to court records. These include falsifying harvest records by using an archery permit issued to someone else, a Class A misdemeanor; and taking a 10-point buck with a decoy, a Class B misdemeanor.
Associate Judge Maurche’ Belk fined Cox $700. She dismissed the cases on four other citations for allegedly placing deer bait, hunting deer with firearms using bait, taking an 8-point buck using bait and not wearing fire orange while hunting.
“It was a prosecution that resulted in a guilty plea to the charges,” said Chris Allen, a spokesman for the office of District Attorney James Gomric, who negotiated the plea deals.
Conservation Police, formerly known as rangers, are part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. IDNR representatives declined to comment for this story.
Under an agency point system, Cox’s convictions for the two violations would result in 22 points against his hunting license and a 22-month suspension of privileges.
Cox, 66, previously pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays and managed the Gateway Grizzlies. He did not respond to requests for comment.
Cox’s two sons, Kamdan and Kyle, and a fourth hunter, Steve Pate, took similar plea deals this week. All were represented by former state’s attorney John Baricevic.
Speiser, 61, owns a property near 300 mostly wooded acres owned by the Cox family. The mayor, his son and another man entered plea deals last month in St. Louis Circuit Court. Clair County.
Speiser pleaded guilty to putting out deer bait. Associate Judge L. Dominic Kujawa fined him $400, placed him on probation for 12 months and dismissed cases related to three other citations for allegedly taking a white-tailed deer with bait and hunting deer with a firearm using bait.
All four charges against Speiser were Class B misdemeanors. Under Illinois law, each carries a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to $1,500.
If Speiser completes supervision and is not cited for additional hunting violations in the next year, the first charge will also be dismissed, according to Allen. However, this will not remove his penalties. The nine points against his hunting license fall short of the 13-point threshold for suspension.
Here are the results of the other plea deals:
-
Kamdan Cox, 30, of Clarksville, Tenn., pleaded guilty to a violation involving turkey hunting. He was fined $800. Belk dismissed cases related to six other subpoenas.
-
Kyle Cox, 35, of Belleville, pleaded guilty to using a hunting license issued to someone else. He was fined $500. Belk dismissed the cases related to two other citations.
-
Steve Pate, 65, of Marietta, Ga., pleaded guilty to archery deer hunting without a valid license and unlawfully taking a 7-point buck. He was fined $600. Belk dismissed cases related to two other citations.
-
Mitchell Speiser, 28, of Freeburg, pleaded guilty to taking a protected species (white-tailed deer). He was fined $400 and placed on 12 months probation. Kujawa dismissed a case related to another subpoena.
-
Brian Forrester, 38, of New Athens, pleaded guilty to hunting deer with a firearm using bait. He was fined $300 and placed on 12 months probation. Kujawa dismissed a case related to another subpoena.
An eighth hunter, Barry Northerner, 66, of Roswell, Ga., pleaded guilty early and paid a fine for not wearing blaze orange instead of negotiating a plea deal.
The Illinois Conservation Police led the investigation in the fall of 2022. Incident reports indicate that officers conducted day and night reconnaissance of the site and used an Illinois State Police aircraft for aerial surveillance.
Officers issued 21 summonses and 12 written warnings to the Cox hunting party. They claimed in reports that:
-
Danny Cox used a firearm permit issued to his wife, Nancy, who does not hunt, to harvest a deer.
-
Kamdan Cox used Nancy’s archery permit to harvest a 5-point buck.
-
Kyle Cox harvested deer using free owner permits despite not living on the property.
-
Others in the party used permits obtained in the names of Danny and Nancy Cox’s daughter, Kayleigh, who does not hunt.
-
Officers observed surveillance cameras on nine deer stands or blinds baited with corn, molasses and rock salt.
-
Danny Cox told them he is a “conservationist” who feeds deer year-round to make sure they have enough to eat.
Deer baiting is illegal in Illinois because of ethical or “fair hunting” standards and the risk of spreading disease through congregate feeding, according to the IDNR, although more than 20 states allow it.