GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- The father and son co-owners of a Kent County deer farm who were accused of violating a chronic wasting disease quarantine have pleaded guilty in the case.
James Schuiteman pleaded guilty Thursday in Kent County Circuit Court to violating Michigan's Animal Industry Act by moving a buck in violation of the quarantine placed on their Algoma Township deer farm, J&B Whitetails.
The 52-year-old faces up to five years in prison on the felony charge. His 24-year-old son Brian Schuiteman pleaded guilty to the same charge as a misdemeanor, which carries up to 30 days behind bars.
Prosecutors say the men tried to move the buck in August. The deer tested negative for chronic wasting disease, a contagious and fatal disease that attacks the brains of infected deer and elk.
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