(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Troy man charged with illegally killing, dumping grizzly bear in 2020 – Daily Montanan [1] ['Blair Miller', 'More From Author', '- January'] Date: 2024-01-23 A Troy man was charged this week with two counts tied to his illegal killing of a grizzly bear on his property in 2020, and agreed to plead guilty as part of an agreement with prosecutors in which he will also have to fully cooperate with an investigation into the death of another grizzly near his property. Othel Lee Pearson, 80, agreed to plead guilty to one count of tampering with evidence and one count of failure to report the taking of a grizzly bear. According to court records, while those counts carry the possibility of more than 20 years in prison, federal prosecutors will recommend to a judge that Pearson is sentenced to three years of probation, an $8,000 fine, and that Pearson must forfeit the .270-caliber Winchester rifle he used to kill the grizzly on Nov. 19, 2020. According to the court records, Pearson shot the sow grizzly that evening, then cut off the bear’s GPS collar and threw it in the Yaak River. He also cut the bear’s paws, ear tags, and a lip tattoo used for tracking and identification off the carcass and hid then inside a hollowed-out tree on National Forest System land nearby. According to an affidavit, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks warden called a U.S. Forest Service warden on Nov. 23, 2020, to report a grizzly carcass had been dumped on a road south of Yaak, which was partially skinned and missing two quarters and its paws. On Dec. 2, investigators found the GPS discarded in the river and were able to pull the data off it, which showed the bear died just before 9 p.m. on Nov. 19 about 40 yards from Pearson’s home and on his property. Investigators served a search warrant at Pearson’s home on Dec. 16, and Pearson originally denied any knowledge of the killing of the bear, according to the affidavit. But agents found what they called a “shooting room” attached to the home whose windows were removed and which opened out to animal baiting sites outside. The investigators also said they found empty bags of deer feed, feed dispensers attached to the trees, a salt block station and a spent rifle cartridge. They also found blood in the snow and animal tissue on Pearson’s truck, as well as a bag of meat in his freezer that was labeled “ham.” But the affidavit and criminal information say a forensic analysis of the meat and blood showed it belonged to the same bear that had been killed and dumped a month earlier. A neighbor also told investigators that Pearson told them he had shot a bear with his .270 rifle, after which the agents seized the gun. More than a year later, in April 2022, a person hiking on the Forest Service land nearby Pearson’s home found a garbage bag filled with grizzly bear claws and an ear tag inside a hollowed-out tree. When they were tested, investigators found they belonged to the same bear. Pearson was charged by criminal information on the two counts on Monday, and the plea agreement was filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on the same day, with signatures from Pearson and his attorney dated Jan. 3. The affidavit in the case was signed last Thursday. The plea agreement, which will have to be accepted by the court, says the United States will not ask for detention for Pearson but provides the court the opportunity to impose it. Also part of the agreement, the government will not prosecute Marcia Pearson, who lives with Othel Pearson but whose relationship is not disclosed in the documents, for anything in connection with the grizzly bear that was killed. It also says that Pearson will have to cooperate and share information with the government “regarding the skull of a second grizzly bear that was discovered on National Forest System lands near the defendant’s property.” If Pearson breaches the agreement or appeals his conviction or sentence, the government would be able to prosecute him for “any counts dismissed or not charged pursuant to this plea agreement.” A court date for the plea hearing in the case had not been set as of Tuesday afternoon. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/01/23/troy-man-charged-with-illegally-killing-dumping-grizzly-bear-in-2020/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/