NW Indiana man charged in taxidermy thefts from DNR office

MOROCCO, Ind. (AP) - A northwest Indiana man allegedly broke into a state office at a fish and wildlife area twice in 2018 and stole taxidermy animals, ammunition and other items, authorities said.

Indiana conservation officers arrested Nikola Kutansky of Munster last week on two felony counts each of burglary and theft following a three-year long investigation into the break-ins at the Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area office in Morocco.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said in a news release that Kutanksy, 35, was arrested when conservation officers and Munster police served search and arrest warrants at his home.

The Willow Slough office was broken into in June and October in 2018 and taxidermy animals, DNR property signs and ammunition were stolen, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.

A taxidermy deer mount was recovered as one of the stolen items but other taxidermy animals remain missing, said Conservation Officer Alex Neel.

Online court records do not list an attorney for Kutansky, who faces a Dec. 1 initial hearing on the charges.