WEST MICHIGAN -- The American Hunting Lease Association reached out to the Problem Solvers and is looking to help several hunters defrauded by a local man.
The AHLA saw the story on suspect Josh Bruursema. The Kent County man faces felony charges for leasing land he has no rights to and stole $5,500 in the process. The Problem Solvers confronted him about it last month.
Sean Ferbrache, chief operating officer of the AHLA said, "I wasn't shocked because I've seen it before. Being in Indiana and that's in Michigan, it's a little close to home."
"Hunters will contact us if they don't know how hunting leases work or land owners just want some guidance and they're thinking about leasing land," Ferbrache said.
"And then ultimately, we provide the tools they need to protect themselves," he added.
Ferbrache said the scheme Bruursema pulled happens from time to time nationwide. People pretend to own land and then lease it to trusting hunters. Febrache said hunters looking for bigger bucks will sometimes travel out of state after responding to an ad on Craigslist. Some end up getting duped.
To avoid dealing with people like Bruursema, Ferbrache said verfiy who owns a property. There are convenient ways of doing that.
"The overwhelming majority of counties in the country have what's called a GIS website. It's a geographical information systems website, and I can go to that website for free," he said.
Ferbrache explained, "I can go to that parcel of ground, and it will tell me who the owner of that parcel is, and it will give me there contact information."
"In your instance the guy lived on the property. I think [Bruursema] was renting the house," he said.
The suspect even gave the men a tour, but websites like the GIS or county property search can verify who holds the deed. To lease land safely, Febrache said hunters can also go through brokers who specialize in securing land. Hunters can also door knock. However, it's still important to make sure the resident is the actual property owner. Febrache said the AHLA also has a service that allows verified land owners to post their land for hunting.
For his alleged misdeeds, Bruusema faces felony charges for fraud and using a computer to commit and crime. However, a plea deal would drop that felony to a misdemeanor if Bruursema repays all eleven men.
If he doesn't, the AHLA said it's willing to make the men whole.
"I'm not really interested in bailing this guy out because he owes $5,500, and he needs to be held accountable. If he doesn't provide that $5,500 I believe felony charges will then be brought back, and if that's the case I'd be interested we'd be happy to take care of those guys," Ferbrache explained.
The organization is also interested in helping replace tree stands and trails cameras Bruursema allegedly stole from the some of the men.
