By Brendan O'Brien
MILWAUKEE, May 20 (Reuters) - A former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warden was charged with theft on Tuesday for seizing guns from hunters and stashing them in his basement, according to court documents.
David Horzewski, 45, was charged with six counts of felony theft in Sauk County Circuit Court on suspicion of keeping six firearms that he seized from hunters he had accused of breaking state hunting laws in incidents going back to 2003.
An attorney was not listed for Horzewski on the state's online court database.
Horzewski told investigators he created an office in the basement of his house to store the seized guns, adding that the DNR required him to have a home office, according to the complaint.
The ex-warden is also accused of using a DNR squad car and a DNR boat for his personal use. He faces two counts of felony misconduct in public office.
Horzewski worked for the agency for 19 years until he was fired on July 24, 2013, for "integrity issues," according to the complaint.
Investigators began looking into Horzewski's conduct in December 2013 after the DNR notified them that four firearms he seized during his tenure were unaccounted for, the complaint said. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Jan Paschal)
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