Missouri man accused of illegally transporting deer

ST. LOUIS -- A Missouri man is accused of breaking federal law by transporting white-tailed deer to Florida.

A St. Louis grand jury indicted 54-year-old Charles "Sam" James of Columbia, Missouri, of violating federal law barring the trade in wildlife that have been illegally transported or sold.

The indictment alleges as co-owner of Timber Hollow Whitetails near Mexico, Missouri, in October 2013, James drove 11 live deer to a farm for the animals near Laurel Hills, Florida. That came after a Florida law banned the importation of captive white-tailed deer.

Federal law bars the transport of live white-tailed deer out of Missouri or into Florida without proper documentation of the animals and health records certifying they're disease-free.

Court records don't show whether James has an attorney.