Johnson arrives in court yesterday | WLUK/Emily Matesic
Less than six months after three central Wisconsin teenagers were formally charged with a string of illegal deer and raccoon shootings that spanned from spring through late September 2025, one of the defendants has been sentenced.
Ian Johnson, 18, of Amherst, appeared in Waupaca County Circuit Court yesterday and pleaded no contest to one count of resisting or obstructing a conservation warden. Three other criminal counts, including a pair of charges for illegal shining, were dismissed but read into the record for sentencing purposes.
According to court records, Johnson was ordered to pay a $300 criminal fine and complete 80 hours of community service, while losing his hunting and fishing privileges for two years. He was also hit with $824.70 in additional forfeitures for multiple DNR ordinance violations, including hunting out of season, hunting after hours, and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. Other citations were dismissed.
The sentencing marks the first resolution in the case as was covered back in December. Johnson, along with co-defendants Ethan Lashua, 18, of Iola, and Landan Fuhs, 17, of Scandinavia, faced multiple misdemeanor charges including hunting deer during closed season, shining deer and raccoons at night with artificial lights, discharging firearms from vehicles and highways, and possessing unlawfully taken game. Johnson and Lashua were also charged with obstructing a conservation warden.
Johnson and Fuhs at their original hearing
As previously reported, Fuhs admitted to investigators that he had been spotlighting and shooting at deer with a handgun since the spring of last year, firing at an estimated 12 to 15 animals, striking three to five, and recovering only two. In addition to sharpshooting deer at night, he also admitted to letting bullets carelessly fly at more than a dozen raccoons. Johnson acknowledged being present for several of the deer-shining incidents and firing at numerous raccoons, though he denied shooting deer himself. The investigation was sparked by resident reports of nighttime gunfire and a decisive tip that identified a red Toyota Camry linked to the group.
Johnson’s case was resolved with what appears to be a relatively light penalty typical for a first-time young offender with no prior criminal history. He was released on signature bond earlier in the case with a condition prohibiting possession of weapons.
As of right now, the other two defendants remain pending. Ethan Lashua has a status conference scheduled for next week, and Landan Fuhs is scheduled for a status conference on June 3rd.
Both face similar criminal misdemeanor charges and DNR civil citations and forfeitures totaling roughly $2,500 for the group.
