A Holcombe man whose deer farm was raided by state authorities in May has been charged with four misdemeanor counts of unauthorized taking of deer from the wild.

Roger E. Hattamer, 52, 30759 260th Ave., is scheduled to make an initial appearance in Chippewa County Court Nov. 4. He faces a maximum penalty of eight months in jail and a $2,000 fine on each count.

The criminal complaint said:

Hattamer was a deer farmer at least as far back as 2002, but in 2003 he quit communicating with the DNR about his activities and never obtained an authorization for fencing requirements.

In 2005, the DNR attempted to locate deer on his property using an airplane, but no deer were found. On May 14, 2008, officers served a search warrant on the land and found 19 deer held in captivity.

An anonymous caller had reported that Hattamer was using a garage door device on a gate of the pen and used it to remotely operate the gate, capturing deer.

Two dead deer were found in the 60-acre enclosure and many of the live deer appeared malnourished. A woman who lived with Hattamer told investigators that they stopped feeding the deer corn and hay because the price was too high.