As a result of a tip from the public in March, Peterborough conservation officers and the MNRF Canine Unit launched an investigation.

They found a bait pile surrounded by suspended cable snares on a property in Havelock. The bait consisted of carcasses of white-tailed deer that were killed in vehicle collisions and were brought there by the property owner. During the investigation, a dog from the Canine Unit became entangled in one of the non-relaxing cable snares but was not injured.

Gatien pleaded guilty to unlawfully trapping a…