NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER: Man Whose Kids Were Endangered By Grizzlies Prosecuted For Violating Endangered Species Act
The Obama administration thinks it’s perfectly understandable when a mama grizzly attacks a human when she thinks her cubs are threatened, but that it’s a crime when a father shoots a grizzly when he thinks his kids are threatened. Jeremy M. Hill, 33, pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court to unlawfully shooting and killing a grizzly bear on his 20-acre property near Porthill, ID, The Coeur d' Alene Press reports:
The grizzly bear is classified as a threatened species in the lower 48 states, according to the Endangered Species Act, and protected by federal law. Hill's charge is a misdemeanor. …
Following the hearing, his father, Mike Hill, of Athol, said, "This whole thing is a waste of taxpayer money."
He said his son was concerned for the safety of his children playing outside when a mother grizzly and two cubs wandered onto his property on May 8.
Jeremy Hill has six kids, ranging in age from 14 years old to 10 months old. At least five were home when the grizzly was killed, Mike Hill said.
The bears had gone after some pigs in a pen that the kids had been raising, Mike Hill said.
The charge of killing a threatened species is punishable by up to a year in prison, a fine of as much as $50,000, and up to one year of supervised release. Members of Hill’s community have raised nearly $20,000 for his defense, and ID Gov. Butch Otter (R) has written a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar asking that he look into the case and assist “in any way you can,” adding that the citizens of his state “are looking for fairness and compassion from the federal government in the resolution of this issue.”
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