Area ODNR Officers Presented National Wildlife Law Enforcement Award
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(Xenia) – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife is proud to announce Ohio Wildlife Officers Isaiah Gifford and Matt Roberts each received the national Pope and Young Club’s Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer Award for their work on a white-tailed deer poaching investigation. Gifford and Roberts were the first officers from Ohio to receive this award, and the first co-recipients.
Pope and Young Club is a nonprofit conservation organization that contributes to the management of North American big game animal populations. Since 1961, the organization has strived to preserve, promote, and protect North America’s bowhunting heritage.
Every two years, the Pope and Young Club acknowledges a wildlife law enforcement officer for their outstanding work related to wildlife violations regarding big game species. The award is presented at the Pope and Young Club’s biennial convention, which was recently held in Glendale, Ariz.
Officers Gifford and Roberts were selected for their role in bringing justice to Christopher J. Alexander, 28, of Wilmington, who was sentenced in December 2024 for unlawfully shooting a trophy buck in November 2023. Gifford and Roberts worked diligently to uncover evidence that resulted in Alexander’s conviction.
Following an investigation, Alexander pleaded guilty in Clinton County Common Pleas Court to 14 counts related to the incident. Alexander was sentenced to pay the maximum restitution for the 18-point trophy buck, $35,071.73. This was the largest restitution value for a single white-tailed deer in Ohio’s history.
State Wildlife Officer Matt Roberts, 44, of Greenfield, has been assigned to Highland County since 2022. Officer Roberts was a 2005 graduate of the Wildlife Officer Training Academy and served in Clinton County from 2005 to 2022. He graduated from Hocking College in 2001 with a degree in wildlife management and earned a second degree in forest management in 2002. Roberts has worked for the Division of Wildlife since 2003.
State Wildlife Officer Isaiah Gifford, 26, of Zanesville, has been assigned to Clinton County since 2023. Officer Gifford was a 2023 graduate of the Wildlife Officer Training Academy. He graduated from Pensacola Christian College in 2019 with a degree in criminal justice.
The Division of Wildlife is dedicated to enforcing laws that protect Ohio’s wildlife. Input and concern from the public are integral to those enforcement efforts. Anyone who witnesses a wildlife violation in Ohio can call the Turn in a Poacher hotline at 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437). Reports are kept anonymous. Information that results in a conviction of a wildlife crime may result in a reward.
Ohio wildlife officers have statewide authority to enforce wildlife regulations and protect state lands, waterways, and property. As state law enforcement officers, they contribute to public safety in their local areas and Ohio’s great outdoors. They also speak to hundreds of clubs and groups about conservation and wildlife programs, perform fish and wildlife surveys, and provide technical advice and instruction about wildlife management issues, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor related recreation.
