Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Danny Cox has pleaded guilty to two hunting violations stemming from a 2022 investigation on his rural Freeburg property. The 66-year-old former MLB player admitted to falsifying harvest records by using an archery permit issued to someone else and taking a 10-point buck with the aid of bait.

Illinois Conservation Police issued 29 citations and 22 warnings after a monthlong investigation involving aerial surveillance and site reconnaissance. Cox was fined $700 by Associate Judge Maurche' Belk, who dismissed four additional citations including charges of placing bait for deer and failing to wear blaze orange while hunting. The convictions will result in a 22-month suspension of Cox's hunting privileges under the state's point system.

Cox's plea agreement concludes cases against eight men, including Freeburg Mayor Seth Speiser, who pleaded guilty to placing bait for deer and was fined $400. The investigation revealed that multiple hunters in the party used permits obtained in the names of Cox's non-hunting wife and daughter. Deer baiting remains illegal in Illinois due to disease concerns and fair-chase standards, though more than 20 states permit the practice.