At approximately 8 p.m. the night of Jan. 28, two men—William “Billy” Jack Hickman, 30, of HC 62 Box 12A, and his cousin Ryan Hickman, 25, also of the Jacksonburg area, went hunting in the Jacksonburg-Hastings area and didn’t come back that night. Hickman’s wife became anxious because reportedly her husband was a diabetic. When efforts to find the missing men by family and neighbors were fruitless she called 911 at 11:49 on the morning of Jan. 29 to report the two men missing.
Five officers from the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff James Hoskins, Chief Deputy Rob Haught, Cpl. Mike Koontz, Sgt. John Brookover, and Dpty. Rob Scott, and Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Cpl. Kevin Goff began a search and they were able to locate the missing men’s vehicle, a Toyota truck, which appeared to be stuck in the mud on an isolated ridge road in the Lewis-Wetzel Wildlife Management area. Although the men were not at the vehicle, officers observed tracks leading away from the scene.
Utilizing county all-terrain vehicles, officers continued the search until approximately 3 p.m. on Jan. 29 at which time the officers received word that the men had returned home on foot and were unharmed despite having spent the night in cold temperatures in their vehicle and walking several miles through rough terrain back to their homes. The sheriff estimated that at least 15 people were involved in the search effort.
Also responding in the search effort were Wetzel-Tyler Adult Probation Officer John Lantz, Volunteer Fire Departments from Pine Grove and Jacksonburg, Wetzel County Office of Emergency Services, Station #50 Pine Grove EMS, West Virginia State Police, and Paden City Volunteer Fire Company who responded with a mobile communications truck.
After surviving the cold temperatures the men faced yet another potentially more serious situation—what the officers found at the abandoned vehicle site and back at the elder Hickman’s residence. While examining the truck to determine if the missing men may have been injured or under what circumstances the vehicle was abandoned, officers discovered a controlled substance in the vehicle. Moreover, after further investigations officers found there was no insurance and no valid registration on the vehicle.
Cpl. Goff also noted that in the back of the truck were three different species of wildlife, one of which was a turkey in an obvious stage of decomposition.
Upon the officers’ arrival at the William Hickman residence, the hunters consented to allowing Goff to conduct a search and several more types of wildlife were found, including a bobcat and bluejays. (Birds are sometimes used in baiting predators such as bobcats, coyote, and foxes).
Hickman was the owner of the vehicle and only he was charged for no registration or insurance. He was arraigned in Wetzel Magistrate Judith Goontz’s court on Jan. 30 and was released on a $500 personal recognizance bond. He pleaded no contest to no insurance and no registration. For those charges he was ordered to pay $200 and $25 fines, respectively, and fines totalling $321. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance.
Cpl. Goff charged both Hickman men with three counts each for illegal possession of wildlife, namely turkey, bobcat, and songbirds. The possible penalty for these charges is $20 to $300 for each count and/or 10 to 100 days in jail; the penalty for hunting without a license, for which both men were also charged, is the same as above for illegal possession of wildlife. Wetzel Magistrate Tom Shepherd says the fine in Wetzel County for hunting without a license is usually set at $100 for in-state residents and $200 for out-of-state, but could vary depending on the circumstances. Cpl. Goff said the Hickman men had 10 days to report to a magistrate to answer the charges.
With regard to the search effort Sheriff Hoskins said, “The search showed a good cooperative effort. In most cases when someone is missing it turns out okay. . . We always operate on the assumption that no effort will be spared to find anyone who is missing. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Nighttime predator hunting is becoming more common in West Virginia. It is legal with a license from Jan. 1 to July 31.