Wood County poacher sentenced to four years in prison for crimes

GRAND RAPIDS — Robert Mandon Freeworth, 36, of Grand Rapids, was sentenced Feb. 6 to four years in prison for poaching and illegal sales of wild game, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Wood County Judge Reeve Kelsey also ordered Freeworth to pay more than $5,500 in restitution and Freeworth lost his right to hunt, trap and fish in Ohio for 18 years. Kelsey also ordered Freeworth to forfeit more than 50 items of evidence seized during the investigation, including firearms, cash, white-tailed deer antlers, venison and a vehicle. State wildlife officers served an arrest warrant on Freeworth Aug. 4. The arrest stemmed from an investigation dubbed Operation North Coast that was closed in March 2016 when more than 45 state wildlife officers and investigators executed search warrants and conducted interviews with dozens of subjects. Freeworth was the main suspect in the northwest Ohio portion of Operation North Coast. He was convicted of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, selling venison, tampering with records and three counts of tagging, checking or possessing a deer unlawfully. He also was convicted of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and hunting without permission after reportedly shooting deer from his vehicle several times. Freeworth was one of 22 suspects charged with 55 violations as part of Operation North Coast. Of those 55 violations, 38 charges, including seven felonies, led to guilty convictions, and 17 of the charges were dropped in plea agreements. Restitution and court costs collected during this portion of the investigation was nearly $22,000. Violations occurred Wood, Lucas, Henry and Ottawa counties and spanned seven court jurisdictions. Other northwest Ohio convictions related to Freeworth's conviction included Dawn R. Large, Robert V. Freeworth and Malory J. Beasley, all of Grand Rapids; Michael P. Amos, Napoleon; Lee A. Curtis, Colton; Matthew M. Langlois, Waterville; and Lawrence "Andy" Turner II, Toledo.