Second hunter accused in SC deer disease investigation pleads guilty to federal charge
One of three hunters accused of bringing part of a deer infected with a lethal disease to South Carolina pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge that he illegally transported wildlife from the Midwest after a hunting trip.
Sean Robert Paschall, a 36-year-old South Carolina resident, is expected to avoid prison time in exchange for his guilty plea.
As part of a plea agreement he signed last month, Paschall would receive two years probation, during which time he would be barred from hunting. He also would have to pay a $5,000 fine and make restitution to compensate for his actions, the agreement said. Because he pled guilty to a misdemeanor, he would not lose his right to vote.
A federal judge would have to approve the plea agreement at a sentencing hearing.
Paschall, who authorities said is from Union, and two of his friends were indicted on federal wildlife transport charges after being accused of hauling a deer head back to South Carolina from Kansas. One of his friends pled guilty in the case last month.
The illegal wildlife transport case is notable because it involves the movement of an animal part that contained chronic wasting disease. The disease, deadly to deer, has never been found in wild populations in South Carolina. The state is trying to limit the importation of deer to prevent the disease from being introduced here.
In this case, the deer was killed in Kansas while Paschall and his two fellow sportsmen were on the hunting trip in 2019. The disease has been found in Kansas deer populations, as well as in about 30 other states.
Chronic wasting disease is an illness that depletes deer populations over time. Likened to “mad cow disease,’’ chronic wasting disease makes deer listless, causes them to lose weight and stagger around, before it eventually kills them.
That’s worth noting because the disease could hurt deer hunting, an activity in South Carolina that pumps millions of dollars into the economy, state wildlife officials say. The state’s deer population is more than 700,000.
The disease is not known to have escaped into wild populations from the deer head, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office said it presented a potential hazard. The deer head was likely being transported for display as a trophy.
“His transporting these white-tailed deer trophies, which contained chronic wasting disease, posed a significant threat to the deer population of South Carolina,’’ according to a statement from assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Holliday, one of two federal prosecutors who worked on the case.
“We hope that by pursuing this case in federal court, we have educated the hunting public regarding its obligation to obey our wildlife laws.’’
Paschall, a bearded man dressed in khakis and a red button down shirt with a Gamecock logo, told the judge he knew he broke the law. But he declined comment after the hearing.
A friend who pleaded guilty last month to illegally transporting wildlife said state officials need to do a better job educating the public, even though the state wildlife department says efforts to get the word out about chronic wasting disease have been exhaustive.
Chad Caldwell Seymore, of Spartanburg County, admitted in court that he violated federal wildlife transport laws. His plea agreement also does not have any jail time, but it carries probation of 36 months and a $10,000 fine. Like Paschall, he pleaded to a misdemeanor wildlife transport charge.
Both faced a year in prison if given the maximum penalty. A third hunter, Justin Grady LeMaster, has not pleaded guilty and his case remains unresolved.
Holliday, who worked the case with assistant U.S. Attorney Elle Klein, said the guilty plea Thursday “strikes a balance’’ between the serious nature of the offense and letting Paschall “go on with his life.’’
This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
