Homer man sentenced for keeping feather of bald eagle he killed

By Web staff

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    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — A Claiborne Parish man who admitted to killing a bald eagle then keeping one of its feathers was sentenced to 30 days in federal prison followed by a year of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Hornsby handed down the sentence Wednesday to Daniel Glenn Smith, 20, of Homer, who was charged with unlawful possession of a bald eagle feather.

The conviction stems from an investigation by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries after learning Smith had been photographed with a dead bald eagle. Agents searched his vehicle and recovered a feather that belonged to the slaughtered bald eagle, U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown said in a news release.

Smith admitted during an interview that he killed the bald eagle and then kept a feather.

“The American bald eagle is a symbol of our American freedom and is an endangered species,” Brown said. “This defendant did not take this symbol seriously, nor the laws that prohibit anyone from killing or possessing even a feather of a bald eagle. These laws were created to protect our wildlife and we will continue to prosecute individuals who abuse those laws.”

Smith had previously been placed on probation and ordered not to possess a firearm for one year as a result of hunting violations involving other wildlife.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon H. Whitten.

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