One of his victims | Michigan DNR
A 26-year-old Clinton County man is now staring down 50 charges after a Michigan DNR investigation alleged he spent roughly seven months cruising rural roads at night, shining deer with a light, blasting them from the driver’s seat of his vehicle and leaving the animals to rot.
Thomas Jefferson House, who was arraigned July 23rd in 65A District Court in St. Johns, faces a mix of felony weapons charges and wildlife violations stemming from activity that took place between April 25 and November 25, 2025, primarily in northern Clinton County.
As many of these cases do, it was kicked off by a tip to the DNR’s Report All Poaching hotline back in October. The tipster reported a person shooting deer from a vehicle at night using what they believed to be a suppressed semiautomatic rifle, leading to the lengthy investigation that included interviews and search warrants obtained through the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition to annihilating whitetails after dark and leaving them for waste, investigators found House to be quite the budding photographer, where he, on many occasions, recorded himself shooting the deer and took lovely portraits of the slain animals lying on the ground.
For his actions, House is charged with five felony weapons offenses, one count of reckless use of a firearm, three counts of possessing an uncased firearm in a vehicle, six counts of taking game from a vehicle, six counts of shining with a weapon in possession and 29 additional wildlife conservation order violations, including taking game without a license, improper method of take, and taking game out of season
The case was reviewed by both the Clinton County and Gratiot County prosecutor’s offices, and according to court records, the accused has since posted a $30,000 cash bond. He is scheduled for a probable cause conference tomorrow and a preliminary examination on August 6th.
“This case demonstrates the importance of the public’s partnership with conservation officers,” said Capt. David Malloch, DNR Law Enforcement Division supervisor. “A tip to the Report All Poaching hotline, combined with the officers' thorough and lengthy investigation, helped hold an individual accountable for their actions that showed a blatant disregard for wildlife and hunting laws. We encourage anyone who witnesses suspicious natural resources activity to report it immediately. We all play a role in protecting our natural resources."
