CONNERSVILLE, Ind. (January 29, 2013)—Jeff Counceller, an eastern Indiana police officer, and his wife Jennifer, who nursed an injured baby deer back to health are now facing charges for rescuing the animal.

The Connersville, Ind., police officer and his wife were charged this month with illegal possession of a white-tailed deer, a misdemeanor that carries up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

The couple found the injured deer in 2010 and named her Dani.

The state Department of Natural Resources told the Councellers to return the ailing deer to the wild, but instead they took it home and nursed it back to health.

The deer vanished last summer on the day when the DNR planned to euthanize the animal after the couple's request for a rescue permit was denied.