HOUSTON— A judge set bond at $15,000 Monday for the man accused of decapitating a tame deer in a local animal sanctuary.

Mister Buck was found dead last month at Bear Creek Park.

Police arrested Brandon Gregory at his home over the weekend and found the head of the deer in his freezer.

Deputies said Gregory has since confessed to the crime.

Gregory, 23, made is first court appearance on a charge of poaching.

If convicted, Gregory could get up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Texas Parks and Wildlife officers said twelve days of tips phoned in to Crime Stoppers cracked the case.

Mister Buck was a favorite among visitors to Bear Creek Pioneers Park, where he had lived in West Houston since 2001. Authorities allege that Gregory waded through a mile of marshland in the middle of the night to get to the sanctuary.  They believe he then cut open the sanctuary’s fence and stabbed Mister Buck in the chest before cutting off his head.

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Twenty-three-year-old Brandon Eugene Gregory was arrested at his home late Friday by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officers and Harris County Precinct 5 deputies.

“He had been here a week prior,” said Sergeant Johnny Longoria of Texas Parks and Wildlife. “He thought he was a nice buck with a nice set of antlers.  He mentioned to one of the other witnesses that he’d like to have those antlers.”

But Mister Buck didn’t go without a fight.

“When he entered the area where Mister Buck was kept, there was a struggle at some point. "Mister Buck got a hold of him and stuck him pretty severely,” said Longoria. “He pulled out one of his knives and stabbed Mister Buck in the upper chest area.”

Cathy McLain

Mister Buck

The deer's death sparked outrage among park-goers and animal lovers.

“If you’re a hunter and you do it by the rules of the law, that’s one thing.  But to come out here and kill an animal that’s at a park, that’s not cool, that’s not right,” said Houston resident Igal Askeroglu.

“We have a lot of animal lovers in Houston.  And even those people that are not animal lovers are appalled by this,” said Phil Camus, Precinct 5 Constable. “This was well-planned and executed.”

Officers said Gregory has an extensive history with Texas Parks and Wildlife.