4 arrested for allegedly killing pheasants at high school

Four people have been arrested in connection with an incident last August where penned pheasants were killed, according to a release.

The pheasants were being raised and cared for by members of the Richland Center High School FFA chapter.

The agriculture teacher at the school discovered the pheasant-raising sheds had been broken into at the end of August. Inside the two sheds he found 50 birds dead, another 50 escaped the enclosure to nearby fields and 50 pheasants were found alive inside the sheds.

A joint investigation by the Richland Center Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources resulted in the arrests of Drew A Huth, 19, of Richland Center, Jevan C. Ryan, 17, of Hillpoint, Michael J. Sander, 20, of Lone Rock, and Chase E. Sandmire, 19, of Richland Center, officials said.

The four teens were booked into the Richland County Jail and released on $10,000 signature bonds, according to the release. They face tentative charges of mistreatment of animals resulting in death.

None of the teens were current students at the high school, but a couple of them used to go to the school.

“We believe the incident was alcohol-fueled, so bad decisions were made in that state and hopefully regrettable decisions that these young men can learn something from this,” Richland Center Police Chief John Annear said.

The case started Aug. 21 when maintenance employees found a portable potty and irrigation equipment vandalized at the high school athletic fields, officials said. Later that day the teacher found the pheasant building had been broken into.