FWC officers arrest Lee County woman for illegal deer possession

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has arrested a woman after she allegedly mutilated a deer and kept it as a pet.

Karen Purvis James, 65, was arrested Thursday on animal cruelty charges and illegal possession of a deer. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office assisted FWC with the investigation.

WINK News reporter Maddie Herron spoke with James’ family. A family member said the arrest was a shock to them, but they believed she had good intentions of taking care of the animal.

FWC biologists disagreed, describing the situation as cruelty rather than care.

According to FWC, In September, officers responded to complaints of a person illegally keeping a white-tailed deer at their home in Lee County.

Upon arrival at the home mentioned in the complaint, FWC officers witnessed an injured white-tailed deer, less than a year old, enclosed in a backyard with a 4-foot chain link fence.

The deer was missing its lower back left leg, exposing around 4 inches of bone and seemed to be used to the presence of people.

Authorities identified themselves and interviewed the home’s occupants. During the interviews, officers discovered that the deer was clearly used to humans and was being fed grapes by James.

James stated that the deer had chewed off its leg and that she kept it in the freezer. She also stated that she tried to get the fawn help by contacting multiple agencies and a deer farmer, who advised she give the fawn Motrin.

James stated she was familiar with FWC and had contacted the agency but could not provide proof of contact.

During the visit, officers witnessed the fawn licking at its wounded leg and a reddish fluid occasionally dripping from the exposed bone. The fawn was removed from the home and transported to an FWC-approved donation facility where it had to be euthanized due to its poor health.

“It’s horrific. It’s incomprehensible,” said Ned Bruha, a wildlife management professional with The Wildlife Whisperer Inc. “The leg doesn’t belong in the freezer. The leg belongs on the animal.”

Interviews with a biologist also indicate that the fawn did not have a reasonable ability to chew off its leg, and there were indications that the leg was amputated with a sharp object with a tourniquet applied.

The amputation was not done by a qualified professional and the fawn’s wound was not treated properly afterward.

FWC was able to conclude that the fawn was unnecessarily mutilated, was in pain for an extended period and deprived of proper diet.

FWC also noted that any person with veterinary training or experience would have known that the acts James committed were illegal, ineffective and would lead to pain and suffering for the animal.

Bruha emphasized that keeping wildlife as pets requires proper licenses, permits, and inspections, which James did not have.

“There are situations where people do have wildlife as pets, but you have to have the license, permits, inspections, everything in place, and this deer would never have been allowed,” said Bruha.

James faces charges of 3 counts of animal cruelty and two counts of violating FWC orders for captive wildlife.

James has a history of citations from Lee County Animal Services including issues from lack of licenses to a lack of required vaccinations for her animals.

In 2018, she was arrested on drug charges.