Jail official faces massive consequences after investigation uncovers repeated violations: 'We find these actions disturbing'

A New Hampshire law enforcement official was charged 17 times after allegedly violating state hunting laws.

Travis Cushman, the Merrimack County jail superintendent, was hit with seven misdemeanors and 10 violations, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.

Conservation officers said the charges related to "multiple illegal night hunting offenses, illegal baiting and using a live action game camera to aid and assist in taking of deer." They seized three deer mounts as well as a firearm and archery equipment.

Cushman was placed on leave. He was promoted to superintendent in 2022 and has been with the Merrimack County Department of Corrections since 2006, per the Union Leader.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Law Enforcement Division investigated Cushman for eight months before arresting him March 25. He is due in Laconia District Court on May 15 and faces multiple fines and a hunting license suspension, according to Outdoor Life.

One of the counts Cushman was charged with stems from his registering a whitetail deer Nov. 15, WSHU reported. A photograph of the animal included a timestamp from the day prior.

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The New Hampshire Antler and Skull Trophy Club said it removed one post related to Cushman and would erase him from a record book after "the legal actions are complete."

"When you enter a buck into NHASTC you sign that the animal was taken legally and ethically," it stated. "We find these actions disturbing and will not tolerate them."

Some commenters on the N.H. Fish and Game post expressed their displeasure with the potential punishment, saying it was too light. In Wisconsin, a farmer who illegally killed more than 150 deer was sentenced to four months in jail and fined $27,416.

Stiff repercussions for poachers and people who try to game hunting contests act as a deterrent and help protect wildlife and keep Earth's ecosystems in balance.