Person faces charges, accused of illegally hunting at Austin park
A person was charged in connection to an alleged illegal hunting incident at an east Austin park last month, according to a court document obtained by KXAN.
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — A person was charged in connection with an alleged illegal hunting incident at an east Austin park last month, according to a court document obtained by KXAN.
KXAN reported on the issue last month after people in the nearby school community expressed frustration from hearing repeated sounds of gunshots in the John Treviño Jr. Metropolitan Park off Farm to Market Road 969.
Austin Discovery School is located right next to the park. Superintendent Lesa Anderson told KXAN last month they’d been dealing with this problem for years, and that the shots had even prompted the school to go into lockdown on several occasions and forced the school to make changes to some outdoor activities.
The park is not currently open to the public, but according to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, later this year, a portion of the parkland is scheduled to be developed for use as a public park.
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department said only park staff and law enforcement are permitted to access the park at this time. (Photo: KXAN) 
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department said only park staff and law enforcement are permitted to access the park at this time. (Photo: KXAN) 
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department said only park staff and law enforcement are permitted to access the park at this time. (Photo: KXAN)
The school said last month it had contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Austin Police Department. TPWD said game wardens began investigating “using multiple methods of surveillance” after receiving reports of hunting in the area.
According to an arrest affidavit, game wardens, with the help of APD and the Travis County Sheriff's Office, made contact with five people who "admitted to hunting on the property," the document stated.
One person was arrested and faces charges of hunting without landowner consent, a Class A misdemeanor, and criminal trespassing, a Class B misdemeanor, according to the affidavit.
After surveillance cameras were set up in the park, a game warden received a notification from the cameras and said the footage showed multiple people actively hunting with dogs on the property, and that at least one person appeared to have a firearm, according to the affidavit.
The game warden went in an APD helicopter to the park, and according to the affidavit, multiple people were seen running from the park toward a residential area.
The affidavit noted that the park is properly marked and Texas game wardens have contacted residents in the area to not access the park.