Newdale man sentenced in shooting of grizzly bear
A Fremont County jury has found a Newdale man guilty of illegally killing a grizzly bear.
It is the first state court case since the grizzly was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1975.
Kenneth Tyler Sommers, 23, claimed he and his wife were hunting for black bears near the Rock Creek Girl Scout Camp on May 7. In a statement to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigator, Sommers claimed the bear charged him, and he shot it.
But, Fremont County Prosecutor Karl Lewies argued the bear had not been charging when Sommers shot it. Idaho Fish and Game Department officers said they could find no physical evidence the bear ever charged Sommer or his wife. Investigators concluded the bear had likely been “standing still” when Sommers shot and killed it with a single bullet to the center of its forehead.
Magistrate Judge Gilman Gardner sentenced Sommers to the maximum fine of $1,000, $400 civil penalty, 30 days in jail, one year hunting license revocation, and two years of unsupervised probation.
The jail time and $500 in costs were suspended on condition Sommers successfully completes probation.
According to Idaho Fish and Game Regional Conservation Officer Doug Petersen, “This is the first case in Idaho where there was a successful prosecution in state court of a grizzly bear taken unlawfully. From the officers’ detailed investigation, through partnership with Fremont County’s prosecutor, this sets the record straight that Idaho is prepared to manage grizzly bears as a big game species in Idaho.”
The investigation phases of two unrelated cases regarding the killing of grizzly bears in the Island Park Area in 2013 are complete and still awaiting federal prosecution.
