West End man poached 37 deer, Pa. State Police and Game Commission allege

[Story]

A Kunkletown man faces numerous poaching and weapons charges after 37 sets of deer skulls and antlers were discovered on his property. David Frantz Sr., 59, waived a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Colleen Mancuso on Friday, and the case will proceed in the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas. He is in the process of obtaining a public defender.

On Nov. 15, Pennsylvania State Police were called to Molasses Valley Road in Polk Township because Frantz had parked his pickup truck on a neighbor’s property. Inside the truck was a rifle, which he was not allowed to have due to a burglary conviction from 2000.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...ission-allege/

[ImminentDanger]

Monroe man charged with gun possession, poaching
Published November 18. 2022
https://www.tnonline.com/20221118/mo...sion-poaching/

A Monroe County man was jailed on Tuesday after he was found with a gun despite the fact he is prohibited from possession due to a prior criminal conviction.

State police at Lehighton said at 9:25 a.m. Tuesday a resident of Molasses Valley Road in Polk Township, called the barracks and reported a red Ford 150 truck was parked on the corner of her property with the door ajar and a rifle visible on the front seat area. Troopers said they were familiar with David Frantz Sr., 59, of Kunkletown, who owns a red Ford 150 pickup and lives along Molasses Valley Road. Troopers said he is prohibited from possessing firearms and has a history of illegally harvesting whitetail deer.

Troopers located the truck parked along the field edge near the rear of a property. Found inside the truck was a scoped pump action Remington 760 Gamemaster shotgun rested on the front counsel with the barrel pointed towards the steering wheel.

Frantz admitted to stealing corn from the field and driving the truck with the gun in it. He claimed that he did not shoot any deer and further admitted to more firearms being at his residence.

Frantz was taken into custody and transported to the barracks.

Troopers and game commission members executed search warrants at his property and found multiple illegally possessed firearms, illegally possessed whitetail deer, whitetail venison meat, processing equipment and ammunition.

Frantz was arraigned before a district judge on 88 counts including 36 felony counts of unlawful killing or taking of big game; theft, receiving stolen property, six felony counts of possession of firearm prohibited and unlawful taking or possession of game or wildlife.

He was committed to the county prison after failing to post $50,000 straight cash bail. The Ford truck was also seized. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. on Dec. 2 before District Judge Colleen Mancuso.

Kunkletown man faces firearms charge
by West End Reporter Staff · December 14, 2016
https://www.thewestendreporter.com/k.../#.Y5UJs7k5fGg

David Frantz Sr. of Kunkletown is facing Uniform Firearms Act charges filed against him by state police at the Lehighton barracks.

Police said he was driving a vehicle that was stopped for traffic violations, after which time he was found to be in possession of firearms that he is not allowed to have. Police said his criminal history lists multiple firearm-related offenses.

The stop was made at 2 p.m. Dec. 5 at the intersection of Route 209 and Weir Lake Road in Chestnuthill Township.

Members of West End family face 25 charges
KEVIN AMERMAN - 11-9-2001
https://www.poconorecord.com/story/n...e/50994546007/

SAYLORSBURG — Seven members of one West End family have been charged with running a crime operation.

Members of the Frantz family, who live in Kunkletown and Brodheadsville, were slapped with 25 criminal charges for allegedly stealing property, receiving stolen property and owning and operating an automobile "chop shop."

All seven members recently waived their rights to preliminary hearings with District Justice Jolana Krawitz of Saylorsburg regarding these charges, which now go to Monroe County court.

An investigation into the family's activities took place from March to June, according to state police.

Richard Joseph Frantz Jr., 33, is charged with knowingly obtaining a stolen 1975 Ford F-100 truck and having it dismantled and remodeled.

Police said the truck was stolen from Classic Auto Sales in Wind Gap and was remodeled at Borger's Auto Body.

Barry Allen Frantz, 32, is charged with receiving stolen property and conspiracy to receive stolen property. He allegedly attempted to "dismantle and discard" the truck after the family learned about the police investigation so his brother Richard "would not be in any other trouble," said police.

Richard Joseph Frantz Jr. is also charged with two additional counts of receiving stolen property. Police say they found NASCAR memorabilia in a garage on Molasses Valley Road in Kunkletown owned by 72-year-old Allen Franklin Frantz Sr. and his wife, 71-year-old Francis Marie Frantz.

Collectible race cars, clocks and jackets were found in a box that had the name and address of Ron's Bargain Center in Wind Gap on it.

Richard Joseph Frantz Jr. said he stole 20-25 boxes of merchandise from the store and stored them in the garage, police said.

The garage also held $4,900 worth of coats and other items with Flemington Speedway logos on them. The items were allegedly stolen from the Flemington, N.J., speedway about a year ago.

Police said they found a Sony stereo with surround sound, which was stolen from a Penn Forest Township residence, and a Gateway computer system in the garage.

Allen Franklin Frantz Sr. and Francis Marie Frantz are each charged with two counts of receiving stolen property and one count of conspiracy to receive stolen property, said police.

David Joseph Frantz Jr., 19, is charged with one count of altering illegally obtained property and two counts of owning, operating or conducting a chop shop.

He allegedly remodeled a 1986 Dodge Caravan, removed the original vehicle identification number plate from the dash board of the Caravan and replaced it with VIN plate from a 1985 Plymouth Voyager.

Police traced the VIN number that was displayed on the dashboard of the Caravan to the former owner of the Voyager. The owner's daughter said the Voyager sat in her father's lawn after an accident left it disabled.

She said that David Joseph Frantz Jr. asked her permission to "junk it." She said yes and signed the title over to David Joseph Frantz Jr.

An inspection sticker on a windshield on the ground next to the Caravan was stolen from Swartz Collision Repair in Montour County, police said.

David Joseph Frantz Sr., 38, is charged with three counts of receiving stolen property and three counts of conspiracy to receive stolen property.

Police said they found a 32-inch color TV with serial numbers partially scraped off and $3,000 worth of fireworks which were allegedly stolen from Northern Lights Fire Works Company in Chestnuthill Township.

A woman from Albrightsville identified the TV as hers. She said it was stolen on April 24, 2000.

Matthew Lee Frantz, 20, was charged with altering illegally obtained property for allegedly owning a repainted stolen 1978 Ford pick-up truck.

Three charged with illegal deer meat sales
SUSAN KOOMAR - 5-19-2001
https://www.poconorecord.com/story/n...r/51078585007/

KUNKLETOWN — The Pennsylvania Game Commission has charged three Kunkletown men with running an illegal deer meat business.

David J. Frantz Sr., his son David Frantz Jr. and Leonard Rickley — all from Molasses Valley Road — allegedly ran "an elaborate operation" of killing deer out of season and selling jerky and ring bologna made from the meat.

The trio was charged with 80 counts of buying or selling game and wildlife.

They face fines of more than $41,000 and will lose hunting privileges for several years if found guilty of all counts.

The commission alleges that David Frantz Sr. made deer jerky and ring bologna at a local butcher shop and in his Kunkletown home.

David Frantz Jr. then allegedly would deliver the processed meat to Rickley, who sold it to workers at an East Stroudsburg factory in the parking lot. Commission spokesman Tim Conway declined to name the plant where the meat was sold.

The commission alleges that Rickley then would return the proceeds to the Frantzs. Most of the sales occurred from September through January each year, officials charged.

Conway declined to say how long the operation was allegedly running. Officers worked "day and night on this case for the better part of a year," according to Richard P. Larnerd, game commission northeast region law enforcement supervisor.

"Cracking this case was no easy task," said Larnerd.

Sportsmen groups and concerned citizens in the West End tipped officials to the illegal activity.

Monroe County Wildlife Enforcement Officers Mark Rutkowski and Vic Rosa received information that as many as several hundred deer allegedly were killed over the past few years to supply the venison business.

Sources said as many as three deer per week were shot illegally to meet demand.

Conway said such a case "crops up every once in awhile," but he called it "fairly unusual" for it to "really blow up into a major operation."

Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Enforcement Division helped investigate.

Stroudsburg attorney Janet Jackson is representing the elder Frantz.

"I intend to defend the charges," Jackson said Friday.

Officials urge anyone who bought processed venison from the Frantzs to help with the case.

Recidivism!

...

[Rosco the Iroc]

It's no secret. He has his own room at the jail.

They broke this a few weeks ago.

[cdi]

Nice. A whole family of criminal shitheads getting the bottom knocked out of it.

[wew3]

"Troopers located the truck parked along the field edge near the rear of a property. Found inside the truck was a scoped pump action Remington 760 Gamemaster shotgun rested on the front counsel with the barrel pointed towards the steering wheel."

Accuracy in reporting.

[ROCK-IT3]

"Troopers located the truck parked along the field edge near the rear of a property. Found inside the truck was a scoped pump action Remington 760 Gamemaster shotgun rested on the front counsel with the barrel pointed towards the steering wheel."

Accuracy in reporting.

Was there a lawyer in the front seat?

[streaker69]

Was there a lawyer in the front seat?

Can't have a front counsel without a real counsel. Must have had two with him.

[ROCK-IT3]

Can't have a front counsel without a real counsel. Must have had two with him.

Don't forget the center counsel. Must have been three of them.

[Story]

KUNKLETOWN * The Pennsylvania Game Commission has charged three Kunkletown men with running an illegal deer meat business.
David J. Frantz Sr., his son David Frantz Jr. and Leonard Rickley * all from Molasses Valley Road * allegedly ran "an elaborate operation" of killing deer out of season and selling jerky and ring bologna made from the meat....