116 Deadly Harvest – With Kevin Behr
Warden's Watch
English - October 20, 2023 13:49 - 37 minutes - ★★★★★ - 365 ratingsWilderness Sports Science Nature conservation gamewarden lawenforcement wardens Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
In Appalachian Ohio and beyond, ginseng hunting is a centuries-old tradition. Prized for its medicinal value and prestige, American ginseng was one of America’s first exports to the Far East. Today, highly regulated but harvested to near extinction, its value has only increased, setting the stage for a black market that often results in arrests, prison time, and tragedy.
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Here’s what we discuss:
Kevin’s ongoing recovery and recent activities
Investigation began in Ohio in 2012, when a family reported an overdue hiker
Bobby Joe Grubbs had been dropped off for a walk, but did not return
Grubbs was known to police
Sherrif’s office pinged cell phone
Phone was located on 87-year-old Joseph Kutter’s property
Property owner gave police permission to search, but nothing was found
Cell phone had dialed 911 but disconnected
Kutter’s property featured a meticulously tended ginseng patch
A second search was launched using cadaver dogs
Dogs alerted on a loader bucket
Kutter immediately confessed to shooting Grubbs
Claimed Grubbs was stealing ginseng
A confrontation ensued and Kutter fired his weapon
Kutter then moved the body twice in the following days
Autopsy revealed ginseng in Grubbs’ pockets - and a business card
Grubbs had called family to report finding “the mother lode” of ginseng
Kutter pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter
Case highlights the mindsets of both ginseng growers and poachers
Easy money from ginseng often funds drug habits
Ginseng hunting (and poaching) can be a way of life passed down through generations
Black market is unnervingly similar to the drug trade
Credits
Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores
Producer: Jay Ammann
Art & Design: Ashley Hannett
Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches
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In Appalachian Ohio and beyond, ginseng hunting is a centuries-old tradition. Prized for its medicinal value and prestige, American ginseng was one of America’s first exports to the Far East. Today, highly regulated but harvested to near extinction, its value has only increased, setting the stage for a black market that often results in arrests, prison time, and tragedy.
Our Sponsors:
Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH
International Wildlife Crimestoppers
Here’s what we discuss:
Kevin’s ongoing recovery and recent activities
Investigation began in Ohio in 2012, when a family reported an overdue hiker
Bobby Joe Grubbs had been dropped off for a walk, but did not return
Grubbs was known to police
Sherrif’s office pinged cell phone
Phone was located on 87-year-old Joseph Kutter’s property
Property owner gave police permission to search, but nothing was found
Cell phone had dialed 911 but disconnected
Kutter’s property featured a meticulously tended ginseng patch
A second search was launched using cadaver dogs
Dogs alerted on a loader bucket
Kutter immediately confessed to shooting Grubbs
Claimed Grubbs was stealing ginseng
A confrontation ensued and Kutter fired his weapon
Kutter then moved the body twice in the following days
Autopsy revealed ginseng in Grubbs’ pockets - and a business card
Grubbs had called family to report finding “the mother lode” of ginseng
Kutter pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter
Case highlights the mindsets of both ginseng growers and poachers
Easy money from ginseng often funds drug habits
Ginseng hunting (and poaching) can be a way of life passed down through generations
Black market is unnervingly similar to the drug trade
Credits
Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores
Producer: Jay Ammann
Art & Design: Ashley Hannett
Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches
Subscribe:
Find More Here:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices