The United States government doesn’t mess with poachers, as one elderly man is learning to his sorrow.
Granted, this case is in its earliest stages, and the man in question, 80-year-old Othel Lee Pearson of Troy, Montana, is still innocent until proven guilty.
But, according to a Tuesday news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Montana, Pearson is accused of killing a grizzly bear on his property and then hiding the evidence.
Since grizzly bears are an endangered species, this is a serious charge.
The incident allegedly happened in November 2020. Prosecutors say Pearson shot and killed a female grizzly bear and then “cut a GPS collar that had been fitted to the bear and discarded the collar” in a nearby river.
“Pearson also cut paws, ear tags and an identifying lip tattoo from the bear carcass,” the news release said. “Pearson then concealed the bear’s claws and an ear tag in a hollowed-out tree on National Forest System land near his residence.”
Pearson is alleged to have “tampered with these identifying objects to impair the criminal prosecution for the unlawful killing of the grizzly bear.”
Consequently, he has been charged with tampering with evidence, a felony, and failure to report taking of grizzly bear, a misdemeanor.
Pearson faces up to six months in prison and a $25,000 fine on the failure to report charge. On the evidence tampering charge, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Would you ever hunt grizzly bear?
Oof.
According to the news release, Pearson is expected to plead guilty to both charges on a deal calling for a sentence of three years of probation and an $8,000 fine.
Pearson is 80 years old. If he were to get the maximum of 20 years in prison, he would almost certainly be dead before his sentence concluded. Even if he only gets three years of probation, that could encompass the rest of his life.
If Pearson is indeed guilty, he essentially threw his life away in his unwillingness to respect the laws regarding hunting.
It may seem harsh, but these laws exist for a reason.
It’s incumbent on hunters and sportsmen to help carefully manage our natural resources, including animals, which are just as precious a resource as the oil and ore beneath our feet.
From providing meat to their communities to keeping certain animal populations under control, hunters perform an invaluable service. Despite the hits they take (mostly from the left), we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
Don’t let alleged bad actors like Pearson tarnish the image of America’s hunters — as a whole, hunters are responsible stewards of nature essential to ensuring our children and grandchildren can enjoy the same bounty that we do.
