Ian Johnson and Landan Fuhs appear in court yesterday
Three teenagers from central Wisconsin are facing multiple misdemeanor charges after a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources investigation uncovered a string of illegal hunting incidents that stretched from spring of this year and into late September.
Ethan Lashua, 18, of Iola; Ian Johnson, 18, of Amherst; and Landan Fuhs, 17, of Scandinavia were formally charged this week in Waupaca County Circuit Court with hunting deer during closed season, shining deer and raccoons at night, discharging firearms from vehicles and highways, possessing unlawfully taken game, and other related violations.
Johnson and Lashua also face additional counts of obstructing a conservation warden.
According to court documents and statements given to DNR wardens, the illegal activity began well before the nine-day gun deer season even opened.
Landan Fuhs told investigators he had been spotlighting and shooting at deer since the spring of 2025, often using a pistol, headlights, and thermal or night-vision optics marketed for coyote hunting. He admitted that he fired at an estimated 12 to 15 deer over several months, striking three to five and only recovering two. In addition to recklessly firing at whitetails, Fuhs also admitted shooting at more than a dozen raccoons during the same period.
“I wasn’t thinking,” Fuhs told wardens. “I regretted it right after I pulled the trigger.”
Despite a lot of the action taking place in the spring months, the case wasn’t broken open until late September when residents finally began reporting the sounds of repeated gunshots and vehicles fleeing rural roads after dark. As the investigation progressed, wardens began to slowly uncover a slew of incidents that took place over the last ten days of September.
According to reports, Lashua allegedly killed an 8-point buck with a crossbow in daylight hours without a license or tag on September 20th. A few days later, multiple reports of handgun shots were reported to authorities, followed by the discovery of a decapitated deer carcass that was found dumped in a ditch. The action seemingly culminated on September 30th after witnesses reportedly watched two occupants of a red Toyota Camry shoot an antlerless deer from the driver’s-side window.
A hotline tip with a partial license plate eventually led wardens to the Camry and ultimately to all three suspects. A loaded handgun was later recovered from the vehicle’s door panel.
When questioned, the teens gave varying accounts. Fuhs was the most forthcoming, implicating himself in the majority of incidents and placing Lashua and Johnson at the scene of three to five deer-shining episodes. Johnson admitted being present for at least two illegal deer shootings and firing at numerous raccoons, but initially denied pulling the trigger on deer. Lashua eventually surrendered the head of the 8-point buck but gave conflicting statements that led to the obstruction charge.
The rapid-fire trio appeared in Waupaca County court yesterday, and each was released on a $1,000 signature bond with a condition prohibiting possession of any weapons. Assistant District Attorney Nick Bolz noted the defendants have little or no prior criminal history and strong ties to the area, reducing flight risk.
In addition to the criminal misdemeanors, the trio face roughly $2,500 in separate DNR civil citations and forfeitures.
DNR officials praised area residents for repeated calls and the decisive hotline tip that identified the vehicle. Similar shining complaints have surfaced in neighboring Portage County, and investigators believe some incidents may be linked.
The teens are scheduled to return to Waupaca County court next month.
