A 3 a.m. traffic stop led Kansas deputy to rifle in car, blood dripping from trunk

A Kansas deputy making an early-morning traffic stop found a .22-caliber rifle in the back of the car and blood dripping from the trunk.

The rifle was found on top of a yellow and orange vest, as seen in a photo by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism's game wardens. Another photo showed that the trunk was lined with a blue tarp.

The findings led dispatch to call a Douglas County Game Warden.

"It's not every night that one of our wardens get called at 3:00 am by their sheriff’s dispatch," the Kansas Wildlife, Parks & Tourism - Game Wardens posted to Facebook on Saturday. "So when dispatch called this morning our Douglas County Game Warden knew it was going to be something good."

Further investigation by both the deputy and the game warden found a "freshly killed deer" in the trunk of the car, according to the Facebook post.

Deer hunting season is closed in Kansas, according to Kansas Wildlife and Parks, making that an illegal kill.

The game warden booked the driver of the car into the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of poaching, or illegal hunting.

Multiple charges relating to the suspected poaching of the deer and taking a deer in closed season are pending, the Facebook post states.

This story was originally published March 25, 2018 at 10:38 AM with the headline "A 3 a.m. traffic stop led Kansas deputy to rifle in car, blood dripping from trunk."