Last Updated on August 30, 2018 11:41 am
A man faces charges for poaching ginseng in the Todd community.
On Tuesday August 7th, 2018 the Watauga County Sheriff's Office received a call regarding a trespasser on private property. After calling law enforcement the landowner confrontated the trespasser who had been poaching the property owners ginseng, according to a report from the Watauga County Sheriff's Office
The suspect fled on foot prior to the officer's arrival after throwing down the ginseng roots that he had dug, the report goes on to say. The suspect abandoned his vehicle nearby which was seized by Watauga County Deputies.
Detective Matt Rollins of the Criminal Investigation Unit investigated the incident and established probably cause to draw a felony warrant on the suspect, Mathew Scott Miller, 32 years old, for the attempted larceny of the ginseng.
All parties involved have been completely cooperative with the investigation, according to the report. Sheriff Len Hagaman says that Miller, along with his legal counsel, are coming to the Sheriff's Office today for warrant service and processing. The exact address where the alleged poaching took place was not available in the report.
The report went on to say, “The Watauga County Sheriff's Office recognizes the hard work and time that goes into cultivating this local, unique agricultural product. Watauga Deputies are committed to enforcing the laws which prohibit Ginseng Poaching on private land without written permission. The Watauga County Sheriff's Office will continue to assist local landowners and ginseng growers as well as work hand in hand with our local North Carolina Agricultural Cooperative Extension to catch poachers.”