Two 19-year-old men arrested last month on a public road on Oprah Winfrey’s Hawaii ranch are suspected of illegal nighttime hunting, state authorities said.
Luke Allen and Ty Muno were arrested just before midnight on June 21 after police observed them using hunting spotlights on a public road that runs through the talk show host’s property in Kula. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Announced.
The Upcountry Maui residents were not actively hunting at the time, but DLNR Conservation and Resource Enforcement officers found a loaded shotgun, a loaded rifle and ammunition in the couple’s truck.
Police determined Allen and Muno had been hunting on Winfrey’s property at night without permission.
Authorities said the rifle Allen possessed was unregistered.
The two were taken to the Maui Police Department in Wailuku for arrest, and the case has been sent to the Maui County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
Invasive deer are wreaking havoc on Maui and other Hawaiian islands.
“Last month, DLNR reached out to upcountry ranchers to discuss and agree to cooperate on anti-poaching efforts throughout the region. No arrests were made on ranch property,” Winfrey’s production company Harpo said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.
With post wire
