SATSUMA, La. (BRPROUD) – A Livingston Parish community is mourning a beloved pet in the community. The doe, known as Butterbean, was shot to death on Tuesday, Dec. 27 in front of a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agent and others.
Chad M. Blythe, 53, of Satsuma, reportedly confessed to killing Butterbean with a .22 caliber rifle.
A gunshot rang out and then an enforcement agent with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries found Butterbean on McArthur Drive.
Patt Leblanc said that the shooting took place in his front yard in the presence of his children and the agent.
LDWF confirmed that the agent “was close enough that he could hear the shot, see the doe in the street and also see Mr. Blythe head back into his residence from his porch.”
According to LeBlanc, the agent was trying to catch Butterbean when the shooting took place.
LDWF said that a “neighbor had put a dog collar with reflective tape on the deer.”
According to Leblanc and LDWF, the agent took off the deer’s orange collar before the shooting.
These photos, reportedly taken minutes before the shooting, show children playing with the doe.
An attempt was made to find the owner of the deer before the shooting, according to Leblanc.
LDWF said that it “didn’t find any evidence at this time to suggest it was owned by anyone.”
After Blythe reportedly confessed to the LDWF agent, the Satsuma man was cited for:
- Hunting deer without basic hunting and deer hunting licenses
- Hunting deer without deer tags
- Hunting across a public road
The Satsuma man could be jailed for up to 90 days and or have to pay up to $2,824.
Sheri Summers, owner of Sheri’s Daiquiris, said there are a lot of angry Livingston Parish residents who feel the charges aren’t harsh enough. She saw the deer for the first time on Christmas night at the shop, where the doe spent about 45 minutes.
Butterbean took a stroll through the daiquiri shop more than once and allowed patrons to pet her. Summers said that many area residents interacted with Butterbean over the weekend.
She called the doe’s killing “coldhearted and cold-blooded.”
“Whether the deer was friendly or not, someone shooting a .22 caliber rifle from his front porch, into the street, in a busy residential neighborhood is reckless and disheartening,” Summers said.
The deer’s body was donated to a local charity.